Apparatus for tissue type recognition within a body canal
US5941822A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 17, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 17, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/4331
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for tissue type recognition for use within the narrow confines of body canals and which can quickly produce an objective identification of the tissue types including the presence of pre-cancerous and cancerous activity. Possible configurations for the probe include endocervical probe configurations which make measurements in directions orthogonal to the long axis of the probe and configurations where multiple probe "tips" are arranged in a "wood drill" configuration. The apparatus has a measurement section that has at least one source of electromagnetic radiation such as a light emitting diode, a barrier which acts to confine the direction that the radiation can take and a detector such as a photodiode beyond the barrier, which is able to detect the radiation after it has been backscattered from tissue in close proximity to the surface of the cylinder. In the vicinity of these components one or more electrodes may also be positioned on the surface of the cylinder such that they are able to contact the tissue under examination thereby enabling simultaneous electrical property measurements to be made. The radiation source and the electrodes receive electrical s…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.