FIBER OPTIC CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE FOR IN VIVO IMAGING

描述：(改编自申请人摘要)：一种新型的 提出了一种活体组织病理学检查仪器。这个 该仪器结合了激光扫描共焦的基本元素 带有光纤成像束的显微镜，可对组织成像 只有在保持深度的情况下才能通过光导管进入 共焦显微镜的识别或光学切片。这 为活体的原位组织病理学检查提供了可能 纸巾。拟议的研究包括三个部分：第一 是为了让系统开发成为一种可行的临床仪器。这 包括继续开发狭缝扫描共聚焦显微镜， 在光纤远端的成像光学和聚焦机制- 光学导管和包括标准内窥镜成像系统 用于导管引导。第二个组成部分是对 共焦成像系统在横向分辨率、轴向分辨率、 辐射效率、信噪比和稳定性。第三 组件是为了展示该仪器在体内的潜力 组织病理学检查。该系统将首先在组织中进行测试 卵巢癌细胞生长在一层成纤维细胞上的模型， 然后在人类卵巢癌的SCID小鼠模型的器官培养中， 最后在麻醉的动物体内。反射成像， 组织自体荧光成像，并结合生命染色 将对荧光成像进行研究。成功的开发 这种光学活检仪的应用可能会为癌症提供一种新的工具 诊断，导致改进的准确性和改进的效率 诊断性检查。

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): A new type of instrument for in vivo histopathologic examination is proposed. The instrument combines the basic elements of a laser-scanning confocal microscope with a fiber-optic image bundle, allowing imaging of tissues only accessible by an optical catheter while maintaining the depth discrimination, or optical sectioning, of the confocal microscope. This provides the potential for in situ histopathologic examination of living tissues. There are three components to the proposed research: The first is system development to make a viable clinical instrument. This involves continued development of a slit-scan confocal microscope, imaging optics and focusing mechanism at the distal end of the fiber- optic catheter, and inclusion of a standard endoscopic imaging system for catheter guidance. The second component is evaluation of the confocal imaging system in terms of lateral resolution, axial resolution, radiometric efficiency, signal-to-noise ratio, and stability. The third component is to show the potential of this instrument for in vivo histopathologic examination. The system will be tested first in a tissue model consisting of ovarian cancer cells grown on a layer of fibroblasts, then in organ culture from a SCID mouse model of human ovarian cancer, and finally in vivo in the anesthetized animal. Reflection imaging, imaging of tissue auto-Fluorescence, and vital staining combined with fluorescence imaging will be investigated. The successful development of this optical biopsy instrument may provide a new tool for cancer diagnosis, leading to improved accuracy and improved efficiency of the diagnostic examination.