Patent ID: 11857317
Assignee: UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A method of observing fluorescence and estimating depth of fluorophores operable on an optical and image processing system comprising:
providing, in a first mode, light from a light source at a fluorescent stimulus wavelength;
providing, in a second mode, broad-spectrum light from the light source;
spatially modulating light from the light source operating in the second mode to form spatially modulated light;
projecting onto tissue the spatially modulated light;
forming fluorescent stimulus wavelength images of the tissue as illuminated with the spatially modulated light, the spatially modulated light modulated in at least a first and a second predetermined spatial-light modulation pattern, where each spatial light pattern provides light varying in intensity across the tissue according to a spatial frequency;
extracting optical parameters at the fluorescent stimulus wavelength of the tissue from the fluorescent stimulus wavelength images of the tissue;
forming first fluorescent emissions wavelength images of the tissue at a first emissions wavelength as illuminated with the spatially modulated light;
extracting optical parameters at the first fluorescent emissions wavelength of the tissue from the fluorescent emissions wavelength images of the tissue;
forming second emissions wavelength images of the tissue at the first emissions wavelength with the light source operating in the first mode;
forming third emissions wavelength images of the tissue at a second emissions wavelength with the light source operating in the first mode;
determining a relationship between depth and ratios of intensity in the second emissions wavelength images and the third emissions wavelength images for a fluorophore in tissue, the first emissions wavelength and the second emissions wavelength being different;
determining a depth of the fluorophore at each pixel of a fluorescent emissions wavelength image selected from the second emissions wavelength images and the third emissions wavelength images based upon the relationship between the depth and the ratios of intensity in the second emissions wavelength images and the third emissions wavelength images; and
quantifying the fluorophore at each pixel of the selected fluorescent emissions wavelength image by using the optical parameters at the fluorescent stimulus wavelength and the optical parameters at the first emissions wavelength to correct intensity of the second emissions wavelength images to produce maps of quantitative fluorophore concentrations.