摘要:
A system for macroscopic and confocal imaging of tissue having a macroscopic imager for capturing a macroscopic image of the tissue's surface, a confocal imager for capturing one or more optically formed sectional microscopic images on or within tissue, a computer for receiving images from such imagers, and a tissue attachment device in which the macroscopic imager and confocal imager are each individually presented to the tissue utilizing the tissue attachment device in a predefined alignment, such that imaging locations of the confocal imager with respect to the tissue surface spatially correlate with macroscopic image. A user interface is operable on the computer to enable display of the macroscopic image on a display coupled to the computer, and to indicate a region within the macroscopic image associated with the field of view of the tissue imagable by the confocal imager. The user interface enables graphical tracking and targeting of imaging locations of the confocal imager in macroscopic image, and marking on the macroscopic image of the locations of confocal images with respect to the tissue surface.
摘要:
A system using cross polarization effects and an enhancement agent having citric or other similar alpha hydroxy acid to enhance confocal microscope reflectance images and particularly images of the nuclei of BCCs (basal cell carcinomas) and SCCs (squamous cell carcinomas) in the confocal reflectance images of excised tumor slices obtained during Mohs surgery by illuminating the tissue being imaged (a tumor slice) using polarized light. The reflected illumination is passed to a polarization analyzer, which passes the polarization component which is crossed with respect to the polarization of the illuminating light. The light from the analyzer is passed through the confocal aperture and detected. The section of the tissue either at the surface or within the tissue is scanned and the reflectance image is produced with enhanced visualization of the cellular or nuclear structure thereof thereby enabling determination of the extent of the tumor (cancerous cells) in the section. A method is also provided using the system for diagnosing cancerous cells in skin tissue.
摘要:
A handheld confocal imaging system for in vivo observation of dermal and subdermal tissue allows diagnosis of conditions substantially beneath the surface of the skin. A confocal head has optics which scan the tissue so as to provide images of vertical sections of the tissue. Both two and three dimensional imaging may be provided for diagnosis and location of basal cell carcinomas and melanomas, and so as to enable visualization of tumor borders prior to excision.
摘要:
An apparatus for determining the location of a radio-opaque marker embedded in an excised specimen includes a radio-opaque marker including an energy beacon that can be embedded in the specimen, an energy beacon controller, at least three detectors, a signal processing component, and a display device. An associated method is disclosed. A method for evaluating a radiographically labeled excised specimen involves determining the location of a radio-opaque marker embedded in the excised specimen, anatomically sectioning the excised specimen, macro-optically segmenting the sectioned specimen into an adipose tissue component, a fibrous tissue component, and an epithelial tissue component, and microscopically examining at least one of the tissue components. An associated apparatus is disclosed.
摘要:
A confocal scanning microscope system (10) using cross polarization effects and an enhancement agent (acetic acid) to enhance confocal microscope reflectance images of the nuclei of BCCs (basal cell carcinomas) and SCCs (squamous cell carcinomas) in the confocal reflectance images of excised tumor slices. The confocal scanning microscope system having a laser (11) for generating an illumination beam (12), a polygon mirror (18) for scanning the beam to a tissue sample (22) and for receiving a returned beam from the tissue sample and detector (28) for detecting the returned beam to form an image. The system further includes a half-waveplate (13) having a rotatable stage (14) and a quarter-wave plate (21) having a rotatable stage (20) disposed in the optical path of the illumination beam and at least a linear polarizer (24) having a rotatable stage (25) disposed in the optical path of the returned beam from the tissue sample.
摘要:
An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.
摘要:
A tray or holder for tissue specimens, especially of excised tissue, such as biopsied specimens, is used with a confocal imaging system, especially a laser scanning confocal microscope system. The tray may be disposable after imaging of the specimen carried therein or may archive the specimen. A window supports the specimen. Clamps mounted inside the tray restrain the tissue. A compliant bag is mounted outside the tray on one side of a window of the tray on which the specimen is disposed. During imaging the specimen is immersed in a liquid contained in the tray having an index of refraction which closely matches the index of refraction of the tissue. The bag also contains an index matching liquid preferably having the same index as the liquid in the tray. A stabilizing plate is attached to a surface of the bag which faces the window. An objective lens of the confocal imaging system receives and supports the plate, preferably by a magnetic coupling ring around the plate which is magnetically attached to the barrel of the objective lens. The lens may be fixed and a mechanism for positioning the tray with respect to the lens in a direction along the optical axis of the lens and in orthogonal directions perpendicular to that axis shares a common support with the lens. Wavefront distortion which may result from an effectively corrugated surface of the specimen is minimized by selecting an immersion liquid which equals the refractive index of the near surface tissues. The tissue determines the index of the immersion fluid. The thicknesses and refractive indices of the window and plate are then determined to correct the residual aberration of the optical system. Different trays having different window and plate thicknesses and indices may be provided for different specimen species such as kidney, liver, cervix, et cetera. Thus, a generic confocal imaging system with a generic objective lens is corrected for image aberration and wavefront distortion due to the surface corrugations of the tissue. The correction is simplified since the bag is compliant and compresses so that the optical thickness along the axis between the objective lens and the focal plane in or at the specimen is substantially invariant whether the beam is focused at the interface between the specimen and the window or within the specimen over a focusing range which can extend over several millimeters.
摘要:
An apparatus for determining the location of a radio-opaque marker embedded in an excised specimen includes a radio-opaque marker including an energy beacon that can be embedded in the specimen, an energy beacon controller, at least three detectors, a signal processing component, and a display device. An associated method is disclosed. A method for evaluating a radiographically labeled excised specimen involves determining the location of a radio-opaque marker embedded in the excised specimen, anatomically sectioning the excised specimen, macro-optically segmenting the sectioned specimen into an adipose tissue component, a fibrous tissue component, and an epithelial tissue component, and microscopically examining at least one of the tissue components. An associated apparatus is disclosed.
摘要:
In order to determine, rapidly and without the delay required by conventional tissue preparation techniques for pathological examination (freezing, sectioning, staining, etc.), whether, an excision, which may be a biopsy sample, is representative of the morphology of interest of whether an excisional biopsy in which the tissue taken completely removes the abnormality is, in either case, the tissue which is desired to be excisioned, the tissue specimen (18) in encapsulated, preferably as part of the biopsy procedure. The encapsulated tissue is contained in an optically transparent cassette (34). The cassette (34) or an endcap (38) enclosing the cassette is marked with a fiducial (40) indicating and corresponding to the location of the excision on the patient's body. An image, which is preferably a representation of a surface of the tissue specimen and the vertical section(s) area of the tissue internal of the specimen and adjacent to a surface thereof, is obtained by means of an electro-optical imaging system (10), preferably a confocal laser scanning microscope. The cassette is moved, preferably in a stage (22) which rotates the cassette while translating it, so that the head (12) of the confocal microscope (its objective lens) provides a linear scan in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the cassette (also perpendicular to the surface of the tissue encapsulated in the cassette). The display (28) from the microscope indicates the morphology at and in proximity to the surface of the specimen as well as the location thereof. The pathologist and the surgeon is thereby provided with information concerning the specimen and whether the entire abnormality desired to be removed has indeed been removed and/or whether the biopsy is representative of the body region of interest in the case of a biopsy sample.
摘要:
An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.