Surgery – Endoscope – Having imaging and illumination means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-25
2002-10-22
Mulcahy, John (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
Having imaging and illumination means
C600S108000, C600S118000, C600S178000, C606S012000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06468204
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a fluorescent endoscope apparatus, and in particular to a fluorescent endoscope apparatus for insertion into the body of a living subject, irradiating a living-tissue subject with stimulating light, measuring the fluorescent light emitted by the living-tissue subject upon irradiation thereof by the stimulating light and detecting a fluorescent image formed of the emitted fluorescent light.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been proposed technologies for irradiating a living-tissue subject with stimulating light, receiving the fluorescent light emitted from the living-tissue subject thereupon, wherein, utilizing the difference between the fluorescent light emitted from a normal tissue and the fluorescent light emitted by a diseased tissue upon irradiation thereof by a stimulating light of a predetermined wavelength, a fluorescent image of the location of the diseased tissue and it's range of infiltration is displayed.
Normally, when irradiated by stimulating light, as shown by the solid line in
FIG. 18
, because a strong fluorescent light is emitted by normal tissue and a weaker fluorescent light is emitted from diseased tissue, as shown by the broken line in the same figure, by measuring the strength of the fluorescent light, it can be determined whether the living-tissue subject is in a normal state or a diseased state.
Further, when the strength,of the fluorescent light emitted due to irradiation by stimulating light is displayed as an image, because there is unevenness in the living-tissue subject, the strength of the stimulating light projected onto the living-tissue subject is not uniform. In addition, although the strength of the fluorescent light emitted from the living-tissue subject is substantially proportionate to the strength of stimulating light, the strength of the stimulated light is in inverse proportion to the square of the distance. Therefore, there, are cases in which the fluorescent light emitted from a diseased tissue closer to the light source than a normal tissue is received as the fluorescence of higher strength, and therefore, it is not possible to discern with certainty the state of the irradiated tissue based solely on the strength of received fluorescent light emitted due to irradiation by stimulating light. In order to reduce this uncertainty, a method in which the ratio of the two different strengths of fluorescent light is obtained by division, and a method of displaying a computed image based on the value of the resultant of the division operation, that is, for example, an image display method taking into account the difference of the form of the spectra of the fluorescent light reflecting the characteristics of the living tissue, or a method of irradiating a living-tissue subject with a near-infrared light which is absorbed uniformly by various living-tissues as a reference light, detecting the strength of the reflected light of the reference light reflected by a living-tissue subject upon irradiation thereof by the reference light, obtaining by division the ratio thereof to the strength of the fluorescent light, and displaying a computed image based on the value of the resultant of the division operation, that is, a method of obtaining the value reflecting the rate of fluorescent light absorption and displaying an image, has been proposed.
In addition, using the technology described above, the development of a fluorescent endoscope apparatus for detecting a fluorescent image of the inside of a living body is advancing. Because the strength of the fluorescent light detected by such fluorescent endoscope apparatuses is extremely weak, it is desirable that the stimulating light be of as high strength as possible. However, because laser light is used as the source of stimulating light, the safety of the patient to be subjected to diagnosis and the operator must be ensured for. Values of the density of laser light to be used as stimulating light are defined as MPE values according to the JIS standard, etc. Up to now, when the endoscope insertion portion of a fluorescent endoscope apparatus has been inserted into a body cavity of a patient, because the output face of the stimulating light projecting end portion of the endoscope insertion portion comes to be in extremely close proximity to a target area, the target area is irradiated by the energy of laser light of too high an energy density, and because there is a fear that injury be caused to the patient, a safety device for the prevention thereof has been proposed.
However, for cases in which stimulating light is emitted when inserting the endoscope insertion portion of a fluorescent endoscope apparatus into or removing the endoscope insertion portion from the body cavity of a patient, there is a fear that injury be caused to the eyes of the patient or the operator, and up till now, a safety device for the prevention thereof has not been proposed.
In addition, when starting;the system, resetting the system, starting the measurement procedure, or performing maintenance on the system, it is considered possible that stimulating light be inadvertently projected at areas other that the section of which a measurement is to be taken. Here: starting the system refers to turning on the fluorescent endoscope apparatus; resetting the system refers to returning controlling characteristics of the fluorescent endoscope apparatus to the initial state after it has already been turned on; starting the measurement procedure refers to an operator's preparing to take a measurement, after the fluorescent endoscope apparatus has been turned on, of the section of which a measurement is to be taken; performing maintenance on the system refers to the preparations that must be made when a maintenance operation requiring that stimulating light be emitted is to be performed.
Also, safety measures for times when starting the system, resetting the system, initiating operations to take a measurement, or performing maintenance on the system, as described above, against inadvertent emission of stimulating light have also not been proposed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in consideration of the circumstances described above. It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a fluorescent endoscope apparatus having a safety device for preventing injury to the eyes or other body parts of the patient and operator due to the inadvertent emission of stimulating light when starting the system, resetting the system, initiating measurement, performing maintenance requiring the emission of stimulating light, etc.
The first fluorescent endoscope apparatus according to the present invention comprises a projecting means for emitting stimulating light and illuminating light, an endoscope insertion portion for insertion into the body of a patient, a light guiding means provided within said endoscope insertion portion for guiding the stimulating light and illuminating light emitted from the projecting means to the section of which a measurement is to be taken, and detecting means for detecting a fluorescent image formed of the fluorescent light emitted from the section of which a measurement is to be taken upon irradiation thereof by stimulating light guided through the guiding means and a normal image of the light reflected from the section of which a measurement is to be taken upon irradiation thereof by the illuminating light guided through the guiding means, further comprising a stimulating light emission preventing means for preventing the emission of the stimulating light, a detecting means for detecting that the forward end portion of the insertion portion is outside of the body of the patient, and a stimulating light emission prevention controlling means for preventing, via the stimulating light emission preventing means, the emission of stimulating light, based on the detection signal detected by the:detecting means.
In addition, the detecting means of the second fluoresc
Hakamata Kazuo
Sendai Tomonari
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Mulcahy John
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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