Acetic acid as a contrast in reflectance confocal imaging of tissue
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsRebecca Richards-Kortum, Rebekah Drezek, Colin Smithpeter, Andres F. Zuluaga
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Abstract
A method for using acetic acid as a contrast agent during reflectance confocal imaging of normal and neoplastic tissue, particularly epithelium. In one aspect, the invention includes a method of using acetic acid as a contrast agent for confocal imaging of cells, including applying acetic acid to the diagnostic tissue sample in sufficient concentration to induce a small scale alteration of the index of refraction of nuclei in the cells; and imaging such cells using a reflectance confocal imaging system.
Claims20
A method of using acetic acid as a contrast agent for confocal imaging of cells, comprising the steps of:
- (a) applying acetic acid to a diagnostic tissue sample in sufficient concentration to induce an alteration of the index of refraction of nuclei in the cells;
- and
- (b) imaging the cells using a reflectance confocal imaging system.
A method of using acetic acid as a contrast agent for confocal imaging of nuclei of cells, comprising the steps of:
- (a) highlighting nuclear morphology of the cells using acetic acid to induce an alteration of the index of refraction of the nuclei;
- (b) generating an image of the nuclei using a reflectance confocal imaging system;
- and
- (c) distinguishing the nuclei from cytoplasm of the cells using the image.
A method of histopathologic diagnosis using acetic acid as a contrast agent for confocal imaging of nuclei of cells, comprising the steps of:
- (a) highlighting nuclear morphology of the cells using acetic acid to induce an alteration of the index of refraction of the nuclei;
- (b) generating and image of the nuclei using a reflectance confocal imaging system;
- the image being generated at a time of acquisition;
- (c) presenting the image as it appears at the time of acquisition;
- (d) distinguishing the nuclei from cytoplasm of the cell using the presented image;
- and
- (e) discriminating changes associated with neoplasia using the presented image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.