Patent ID: 8214025
Filing Date: 2012-07-03
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A fluorescence endoscope system for observing fluorescence from a fluorochrome attached to or absorbed in biological tissue, comprising: an excitation light source that emits excitation light that excites the fluorochrome; an image-acquisition section that acquires fluorescence emitted from the biological tissue when irradiated with the excitation light from the excitation light source; an autofluorescence signal setting section that sets an autofluorescence signal intensity to be emitted from the biological tissue when irradiated with the excitation light; an image compensation section that compensates fluorescence image information acquired by the image-acquisition section on the basis of the autofluorescence signal intensity set by the autofluorescence signal setting section; another excitation light source that emits other excitation light in a wavelength band in which the excitation efficiency of the fluorochrome is lower as compared to the excitation efficiency of the fluorochrome with the excitation light, in a wavelength band different from the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source, wherein when the two kinds of excitation light are radiated from the two excitation light sources in an alternating manner, the image-acquisition section acquires the respective fluorescences emitted from the biological tissue, and the autofluorescence signal setting section estimates the autofluorescence signal intensity on the basis of the fluorescence image information acquired by the image-acquisition section when the other excitation light is radiated.