Laser treatment of an eye structure or a body surface from a remote location

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9931171-B1
Application number	US-201615368759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2016
Priority date	Oct 13, 2010
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

An integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus, and associated systems and methods that allow a physician (e.g., a surgeon) to perform laser surgical procedures on an eye structure or a body surface with an integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus disposed at a first (i.e. local) location from a control system disposed at a second (i.e. remote) location, e.g., a physician's office. In some embodiments, communication between the integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus and control system is achieved via the Internet®. Also, in some embodiments, the laser imaging and treatment apparatus is further configured to provide photodynamic therapy to a patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for laser treatment of an eye structure or a body surface, comprising:
a local control system disposed at a first location and a central control system disposed at a remote site, said remote site being at a second location, said local control system being operatively coupled to said central control system by means of a computer network;
at least a first laser-imaging system disposed at said first location, said first laser-imaging system including a laser-imaging apparatus, a laser generation system, a first computing device with a first processor, and a local control module;
said laser-imaging apparatus including a digital image acquisition system configured to acquire a digitized image of said eye structure or said body surface, said local control module including local operation, local operation and performance simulation, and local safety and verification sub-modules, said local operation sub-module configured to acquire said digitized image of said eye structure or said body surface from said digital image acquisition system and transmit said digitized image to said remote site;
said laser generation system including an aiming laser configured to generate and transmit an aiming laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface, and a treatment laser configured to generate and transmit at least a first treatment laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface;
said central control system including a second computing device with a second processor, and a remote control module, said remote control module including remote operation, remote operation and performance simulation, and remote safety and verification sub-modules;
said remote operation sub-module being configured to facilitate communications between a remote physician and said second processor of said second computing device, and perform a laser treatment procedure on said eye structure or said body surface in an actual control mode in which said treatment laser is configured to transmit said first treatment laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface so as to surgically alter said eye structure or said body surface;
said first laser-imaging system further including an image recognition sensor operatively coupled to said first computing device, said image recognition sensor being a three-dimensional camera configured to capture three-dimensional images of a patient using both visible light and infrared light that are produced as a result of said patient being instructed to perform a task that induces one or more detectable physical and physiological changes in a body area of said patient, said image recognition sensor configured to capture said three-dimensional images of said patient at said first location so that an identity of said patient is capable of being identified and verified prior to said laser treatment procedure being performed on said eye structure or said body surface in said actual control mode, said first computing device being further specially programmed to compare a plurality of induced physical and physiological changes to said body area of said patient depicted in a first reference digital image of said patient captured by said three-dimensional camera at a first time to said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes to said body area of said patient depicted in a second digital image of said patient captured by said three-dimensional camera at a second subsequent time, and to determine if said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes depicted in said second digital image of said patient substantially matches said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes depicted in said first reference digital image of said patient, said first computing device being further specially programmed to analyze trends in said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes that include augmentation and diminution of said physical and physiological changes, said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes to said body area of said patient including the following: (i) a change in a blood flow pattern in a body region of said patient, and (ii) a change in a surface structure of a skin portion of said patient; and
said first laser-imaging system additionally including a voice recognition sensor operatively coupled to said first computing device, said voice recognition sensor capturing speech waveforms generated by said patient while said patient performs said task that produces said plurality of induced physical and physiological changes, and said first computing device being specially programmed to compare a first reference speech waveform of said patient captured by said voice recognition sensor at said first time to a second speech waveform of said patient captured by said voice recognition sensor at said second subsequent time, and to determine if said second speech waveform of said patient substantially matches said first reference speech waveform of said patient so as to confirm said identity of said patient that was previously verified using said image recognition sensor.

2. The laser treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein said three-dimensional camera is a holoscopic three-dimensional camera, and wherein said second computing device comprises a graphical user interface in the form of a multiview, three-dimensional visual display device configured to enable said remote physician or another observer at said remote site to perform a three-dimensional analysis of said three-dimensional images of said patient that are produced as a result of said patient being instructed to perform said task that induces said one or more detectable physical and physiological changes in said body area of said patient.

3. The laser treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein said multiview, three-dimensional visual display device of said second computing device is a three-dimensional digital holographic display device.

4. The laser treatment system according to claim 3 , wherein said three-dimensional digital holographic display device comprises one or more thin or ultrathin holographic optical elements for producing high-resolution three-dimensional images, and wherein said three-dimensional digital holographic display device comprises an autostereoscopic three-dimensional display to eliminate the need for said physician or said another observer to wear special eyewear while performing said three-dimensional analysis of said three-dimensional images of said patient.

5. The laser treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein said multiview, three-dimensional visual display device of said second computing device is a volumetric display so as to generate said three-dimensional images of said patient formed by voxels with spatial depth and volume.

6. The laser treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein said second computing device comprises a graphical user interface in the form of virtual reality glasses worn by said remote physician or another observer at said remote site, said virtual reality glasses configured to enable said remote physician or said another observer at said remote site to perform an analysis of said three-dimensional images of said patient that are produced as a result of said patient being instructed to perform said task that induces said one or more detectable physical and physiological changes in said body area of said patient.

7. The laser treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising an optical coherence tomography imaging system, near-infrared optical tomography imaging system, or a frequency modulated continuous wave imaging system operatively coupled to said first computing device, said optical coherence tomography imaging system, said near-infrared optical tomography imaging syste

Assignees

• Peyman Gholam A

Inventors

• Peyman Gholam A

Classifications

• A61N5/062

  Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent · CPC title

• A61B3/14

  Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography · CPC title

• A61N2005/067

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B18/203

  applying laser energy to the outside of the body · CPC title

• A61B2018/00642

  with feedback, i.e. closed loop control · CPC title