Patent ID: 8214024

Claim:
An electronic polarimetric imaging system for use with a colposcopy device designed for in vivo observation of a cervix, wherein the colposcopy device comprises a light source for illuminating the observable cervix and at least visual means for monitoring an image of said cervix, an illumination optical path towards the cervix and an image optical path coming back from the cervix being separated from one another over at least one portion of paths thereof, said electronic polarimetric imaging system comprising: a polarimetric adapter housing which is removable into i) a first separated optical path of the illumination optical path towards the cervix, the first optical path separated from the image optical path coming back from the cervix, and ii) a second separated optical path of the image optical path coming back from the cervix, the second optical path separated from the illumination optical path towards the cervix, said polarimetric adapter housing including i) a polarisation state generator (PSG) on the first separated optical path of the illumination optical path, and ii) a polarisation analyser (PSA) on the second separated optical path of the image optical path, wherein at least one of the polarization state generator (PSG) and the polarization analyser (PSA) comprises a linear polariser and an electronically controlled liquid crystal modulator whereof reference axes are situated at determined azimuths relative to the conducting axis of the linear polariser, and wherein the polarisation state generator (PSG) and the polarisation analyser (PSA) are each controllable, the polarimetric adapter housing being removable from the colposcopy device to leave the colposcopy device functional for in vivo observation of the cervix in a non-polarimetric mode.