Imaging method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9510730-B2
Application number	US-201414228896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Apr 8, 2009
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

An imaging apparatus and method are provided. The probe for an imaging apparatus includes a manually manipulable proximal portion; a straight distal portion with a distal tip for locating at a site to define an observational field; and a curved portion between the proximal portion and the distal portion. The imaging method includes the steps of locating a distal tip of an imaging probe at a site to define an observational field; irradiating the observational field from the distal tip; and collecting a return signal at the distal tip; wherein the probe comprises a manually manipulable proximal portion. The apparatus and method provided herein are useful for various applications including but not limited to endomicroscopy and other microsurgical procedures performed under optical stereoscopic magnified visualization, such as neurosurgery, ENT/facial surgery and spinal surgery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
a probe, comprising:
a manually manipulable proximal portion;
a straight distal portion coupled to a distal tip, wherein the distal tip locates and defines an observational field of a sample to be imaged confocally;
a curved portion between the proximal portion and the straight distal portion;
wherein the straight distal portion has a length of between 75 mm to 205 mm, and the curved portion provides an angle between the proximal portion and the straight distal portion of between 120° and 150; and
a scanning mechanism that performs a raster scan on the observation field;

an optical coupler that receives light from a light source and separates the received light into a first light and a second light;
a first connection to send the first light from the optical coupler to the probe;
a second connection to send the second light from the optical coupler to a power monitor, wherein an amount of power output to the sample is calculated based on a ratio between power coupled by the optical coupler into the first connection and power coupled by the optical coupler into the second connection; and
a detection unit that receives a portion of light returned confocally by the sample and collected by the probe,
wherein an image of the sample is constructed based at least in part on the portion of light detected by the detection unit and the raster scan of the observational field.

2. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the curved portion provides an angle between the proximal portion and the distal portion of between 130° and 140°.

3. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probe is an endoscopic probe.

4. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probe is a neurological probe, an ENT probe, an ultrasound probe, an OCT probe or a CARS probe.

5. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an orientation marking that allows identification of an orientation of the probe.

6. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the orientation marking comprises one or more dots, strips, radial markings or near radial markings.

7. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the orientation marking comprises a plurality of portions of different colours.

8. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an endomicroscopic apparatus wherein the imaging apparatus is an endomicroscopic imaging apparatus.

9. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , configured to orient an image collected with the probe so as to correspond to a normal field of view of a macroscopic visualization apparatus.

10. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , configured to orient and rotate an image collected with the probe so as to correspond to a field of view of a macroscopic visualization apparatus.

11. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , configured to orient and rotate an image collected with the probe so as to correspond to a field of view of a macroscopic visualization apparatus by transforming input signals for a scanning mechanism of the apparatus to rotate x and y axes of the scanning mechanism.

12. An imaging method, comprising:
a probe comprising a manually manipulable proximal portion, a straight distal portion including a distal tip, and a curved portion between the proximal portion and the straight distal portion, wherein the straight distal portion has a length of between 75 mm to 205 mm, and the curved portion provides an angle between the proximal portion and the straight distal portion of between 120° and 150°;
defining an observational field of a sample to be imaged confocally based on the location of a distal tip;
performing a raster scan of the defined observational field;
receiving a return signal from the distal tip containing data corresponding to the observational field;
receiving, by an optical coupler, light from a light source;
separating, by the optical coupler, the received light into a first light and a second light;
sending, by a first connection, the first light from the optical coupler to the probe;
sending, by a second connection, the second light from the optical coupler to a power monitor, wherein an amount of power output to the sample is calculated based on a ratio between power coupled by the first connection and the second connection;
receiving, by a detection unit, a portion of light returned confocally by the sample and collected by the probe; and
constructing an image of the sample based at least in part on the portion of light detected by the detection unit and the raster scan of the observational field.

13. The imaging method as claimed in claim 12 , including providing an angle between the proximal portion and the distal portion of between 130° and 140°.

14. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probe has a working length of between 125 mm to 300 mm.

15. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the curved portion provides an angle between the proximal portion and the distal portion of approximately 135°.

16. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the straight distal portion has a length of 110 mm.

17. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the straight distal portion has a length of 75 mm.

18. The imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the raster scan indicates an origin of the sample of the return light.

Assignees

• Optiscan Pty Ltd
• Zeiss Carl Surgical Gmbh
• Zeiss Carl Meditec Inc
• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Miesner Hans-Joachim
• Hauger Christoph
• Nahm Werner
• Rudolph Frank
• Hattendorf Guido
• Delaney Peter M
• Allen John D

Classifications

• A61B1/00078 Primary

  with stiffening means · CPC title

• A61B1/0008 Primary

  characterised by distal tip features · CPC title

• A61B1/227

  for ears, i.e. otoscopes · CPC title

• A61B5/6852

  Catheters · CPC title

• A61B1/06

  with illuminating arrangements · CPC title