Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-01
2004-02-03
Manuel, George (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C600S477000, C600S321000, C600S317000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06687534
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a fluorescent-light image display apparatus for displaying a fluorescent-light image obtained of the fluorescent-light emitted from a fluorescent drugs (extrinsic fluorophores) that has been injected in advance into an examination area of a living tissue subject (hereinafter target subject) upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light, or a fluorescent-light image obtained of the autofluorescent-light emitted from the intrinsic fluorophores of a target subject, into which a fluorescent drugs (extrinsic fluorophores) has not been injected, upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known in the field of fluorescent-light image diagnostic apparatuses for displaying a fluorescent-light image based on the fluorescent-light emitted from an examination area of a target subject upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light having a wavelength within the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorophores of aforementioned target subject or a fluorescent-light image based on the fluorescent-light emitted from a fluorescent drugs (extrinsic fluorophores), which has been injected in advance into a target subject under examination, upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light.
For example, technologies have been proposed that make use of the fact that the intensity of the fluorescent-light emitted from a normal tissue differs from the intensity of the fluorescent-light emitted from a diseased tissue when a target subject is irradiated by a excitation light having a wavelength within the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorophores of the target subject, wherein, by receiving the fluorescent-light emitted from a target subject upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light having a wavelength within the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorophores of the target subject, the location and range of penetration of a diseased tissue is displayed as a fluorescent-light image.
Normally, when a target subject is irradiated by a excitation light, because a high-intensity fluorescent-light is emitted from a normal tissue, as shown by the solid line in
FIG. 8
, and a weak-intensity fluorescent-light is emitted from a diseased tissue, as shown by the broken line in
FIG. 8
, by measuring the intensity of the fluorescent-light emitted from aforementioned target subject, it can be determined whether the target subject is in a normal or a diseased state.
However, for cases in which the intensity of the fluorescent-light emitted from a target subject upon irradiation thereof by a excitation light is displayed as an image, because there is unevenness on the surface of a target subject, the intensity of the excitation light irradiating the target subject is not of a uniform intensity. Further, although the intensity of the fluorescent-light emitted from the target subject is substantially proportional to the intensity of the excitation light, the intensity of aforementioned fluorescent-light becomes weaker in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between the excitation light and the target subject. Therefore, there are cases in which the fluorescent-light received from diseased tissue located at a position closer to the excitation light source than normal tissue is of a higher intensity than the fluorescent-light received from normal tissue located further from said light source, and the state of the tissue of the target subject under examination cannot be accurately recognized based solely on the data relating to the intensity of the fluorescent-light received from the target subject upon irradiation thereof with a excitation light. In order to remedy the problems described above, the applicants of the present application propose a method of displaying a fluorescent-light image obtained based on the factor obtained by dividing the ratio of two types of fluorescent-light intensities obtained of different wavelength ranges. That is to say: an image display method of displaying an image based on the difference in the form of the fluorescence spectra reflecting the tissue-state of a target subject; a method of displaying a fluorescent-light image comprising the steps of: irradiating a target subject with a reference light in the near-infrared spectrum, which shows uniform absorption characteristics for a wide variety of target subjects; detecting the intensity of the reflected light reflected by said target subject; determining the ratio between the intensity of said reflected light and fluorescent light intensity by division; and displaying a fluorescent light image based on the factor of said division, among others.
In addition, fluorescent-light image display methods wherein the hue, which is one of the three color properties, is determined based on the ratio between aforementioned two intensities of fluorescent-light or the ratio between the intensity of the reflected-light of the reference-light and the intensity of the fluorescent-light, and the luminosity, which is one of the three color properties, is determined based on the intensity of the reflected-light of the reference-light and the fluorescent-light image is displayed, etc., are being developed.
Further, the fluorescent-light image display apparatus based on the technology described above comprises a excitation light emitting means for projecting excitation light, an illuminating-light emitting means for projecting illuminating-light, a fluorescent-light image display means for displaying a fluorescent light image obtaining means which images the fluorescent light emitted from an examination area which has been irradiated by a excitation light, a reflectance image obtaining means which images the reflected light reflected by said examination area which has been illuminated by an illuminating light, a fluorescent light image display means which displays a fluorescent light image, and a reflectance image display means which displays a reflectance image, wherein these types of fluorescent-light image obtaining means are in many cases provided in the configuration of an endoscope for insertion into a body cavity of a patient, a colposcope, or a surgical microscope.
According to the conventional fluorescent-light image obtaining apparatuses described above, in order to ensure the safety of a patient, the output of the excitation light is set so that the density of the energy of the excitation light projected onto the area under examination is smaller than an MPE value determined according to the JIS safety standard. On the other hand, the fluorescent-light emitted from an area under examination that has been irradiated by the excitation light is extremely weak, and in order to obtain a fluorescent-light image having a good S/N ratio, because it is desirable that the output of the excitation light be as large as possible, it is often the case that the output of the excitation light is set so that the energy density of the excitation light is a value only slightly smaller than the MPE value.
Because of this, for cases in which there is an irregularity with regard to an increase in the output of the excitation light emitted by the excitation light emitting means of a conventional fluorescent-light image obtaining apparatus, the output of the excitation light exceeds the set value, and there is a fear that the target subject will be irradiated by a excitation light having an energy density larger than the predetermined value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in consideration of the circumstances described above, and it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent-light image display apparatus in which there is no projection onto an area under examination of excitation light having an energy level larger than a predetermined value, even for cases in which there is an irregularity regarding an increase in the output of the excitation light, whereby the safety of the apparatus is improved.
The fluorescent-light image display apparatus acco
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Jain Ruby
Manuel George
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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