Noninvasive system for characterizing tissue in vivo
US5807261A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 7, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 7, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2562/08
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A tool for nondestructive interrogation of the tissue including a light source emitter and detector which may be mounted directly on the surgical tool in a tissue contacting surface for interrogation or mounted remotely and guided to the surgical field with fiber optic cables. The light source may be broadband and wavelength differentiation can be accomplished at the detector via filters or gratings, or using time, frequency, or space resolved methods. Alternatively, n discrete monochromatic light sources may be provided which are subsequently multiplexed into a single detector by time or by frequency multiplexing. The optical sensing elements can be built into a surgical tool end effector tip such as a tissue grasping tool which has cooperating jaws (bivalve or multi-element). In the preferred embodiment the light source (or the fiber optic guide) is mounted on one jaw and the detector (or fiber optic guide) is mounted in the opposing jaw so that the light emitter and detector are facing one another either directly (i.e., on the same optical axis when the tool is closed) or acutely (i.e., with intersecting optical axes so that the light emitted is detected). In this case, the sens…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.