Method and apparatus for optical Doppler tomographic imaging of fluid flow velocity in highly scattering media
US5991697A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 31, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 31, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/0261
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Optical Doppler tomography permits imaging of fluid flow velocity in highly scattering media. The tomography system combines Doppler velocimetry with high spatial resolution of partially coherent optical interferometry to measure fluid flow velocity at discrete spatial locations. Noninvasive in vivo imaging of blood flow dynamics and tissue structures with high spatial resolutions of the order of 2 to 10 microns is achieved in biological systems. The backscattered interference signals derived from the interferometer may be analyzed either through power spectrum determination to obtain the position and velocity of each particle in the fluid flow sample at each pixel, or the interference spectral density may be analyzed at each frequency in the spectrum to obtain the positions and velocities of the particles in a cross-section to which the interference spectral density corresponds. The realized resolutions of optical Doppler tomography allows noninvasive in vivo imaging of both blood microcirculation and tissue structure surrounding the vessel which has significance for biomedical research and clinical applications.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.