Patent Document ID: 8755866
Application ID: 11381443
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A sentinel lymph node imaging system comprising: at least one modulated optical source configured to generate a modulated optical wave modulated according to a Golay code sequence; a code selector configured to provide said Golay code sequence to the modulated optical source, the code selector comprising an address sequencer and a pattern memory for storing a plurality of Golay code sequences, wherein the address sequencer is configured to allow changing the Golay code sequence by selecting one of several patterns stored in the pattern memory or inputting a new code sequence into the pattern memory; delivery optics coupled to the at least one modulated optical source configured to direct the modulated optical wave at a mammal whose sentinel lymph nodes are to be imaged; a first photo-sensitive detector configured to detect fluorescent light emitted from a fluorescing material injected into said mammal whose sentinel lymph nodes are to be imaged; an optical splitter coupled to the delivery optics to direct the modulated optical wave to a second photo-sensitive detector; digital detector electronics coupled to said first photo-sensitive detector and to said second photo-sensitive detector configured to sample a first detector output from said first photo-sensitive detector and a second detector output from said second photo-sensitive detector, and further configured to perform a correlation of said first detector output with said second detector output, and to generate a temporal transfer correlation signal reflecting photon time-of-flight characteristics from said at least one modulated optical source; and an image reconstruction engine coupled to said digital detector electronics configured to reconstruct an image of an underlying tissue volume and sentinel lymph nodes based in part on the temporal transfer correlation signal.