KR102372603B1 - Medical system providing functional image - Google Patents

Abstract

The functional image providing medical system includes a light source unit, a reflected light image detection unit, a fluorescence image detection unit, an image processing unit, and an image output unit. The light source unit emits visible light and near-infrared excitation light, the semi-optical image detection unit detects a reflected light image by visible light, the fluorescence image detection unit detects a fluorescence image by the excitation light, and the image processing unit detects a fluorescent material preset in the reflected light image A dominant region in which the intensity of the visible ray wavelength of interest corresponding to . According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a complementary functional image in which the distorted ICG position and distribution information is corrected by simultaneously detecting not only the near-infrared fluorescence of the ICG but also the dark green color information of the ICG.

Description

Medical system providing functional images {MEDICAL SYSTEM PROVIDING FUNCTIONAL IMAGE}

The present invention relates to a functional image providing medical system, and more particularly, to a system for providing a functional image applied to an endoscope, a laparoscope, a microscope, and the like.

In medical imaging such as endoscopic imaging, near-infrared fluorescence imaging is useful in several medical applications, including visualization of blood flow and lymphatic perfusion, identification of important anatomy, and highlighting of regions of interest, when optical imaging in the visible region is not sufficient. do.

Because near-infrared rays have a deeper tissue penetration depth in living tissues than visible rays, deeper tissue observation is possible. It also has the advantage of being able to

The near-infrared fluorescence image can be more effectively utilized when a near-infrared fluorescence material is used. In particular, indocyanine green (ICG), a near-infrared fluorescent substance that is currently approved by the US FDA and can be used for diagnosis of cancer and cancer metastasis, efficiently binds to blood lipid proteins and leaks into surrounding tissues during circulation. Because it does not do so, it is usefully used to identify the location and shape of blood vessels and lymph nodes around the lesion, which were difficult to confirm with existing endoscopic and laparoscopic images, and enables observation of the flow of blood or lymph.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a lot of useful additional information to the doctor by providing the visible ray image and the near infrared image obtained using ICG independently of each other or by superimposing the images.

ICG is a dark green dye and has the characteristic of expressing 840 nm fluorescence at an infrared wavelength of 805 nm. 1 is a view showing the absorbance and fluorescence signal spectrum of ICG. In addition, ICG has a characteristic that the fluorescence intensity increases in a quasi-linear form when the concentration is low and reaches a peak, and the fluorescence intensity decreases again as the dye concentration further increases. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the dependence of ICG fluorescence on ICG concentration, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an ICG fluorescence image versus ICG concentration.

This is due to the reabsorption of fluorescence due to the overlap between the excitation and fluorescence spectra at high ICG concentrations. This non-linear relationship between ICG fluorescence and concentration can lead to distorted estimates and information about ICG loss. As shown in FIG. 4 , although ICG is dark green in areas with high ICG concentration when observed in white light, ICG fluorescence intensity is low in ICG near-infrared fluorescence images, so that a doctor may receive erroneous information. 4 and 5 are views illustrating ICG observation images in the collected tissue, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are white light images and near-infrared fluorescence images, respectively.

US 9585612 B2

The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and for the purpose of a functional image providing medical system capable of providing a supplemented functional image capable of correcting distorted ICG position and distribution information in a near-infrared fluorescence image. do.

In order to achieve the above object, a functional image providing medical system according to the present invention includes a light source unit, a reflected light image detection unit, a fluorescence image detection unit, an image processing unit, and an image output unit. The light source unit emits visible light and near-infrared excitation light, the reflected light image detection unit detects a reflected light image by visible light, the fluorescence image detection unit detects a fluorescent image by the excitation light, and the image processing unit applies a preset fluorescent material among the reflected light images. A dominant region in which an intensity of a corresponding visible ray wavelength of interest is greater than an intensity of a comparative visible ray wavelength is extracted, and the image output unit outputs an image transmitted from the image processing unit.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a complementary functional image in which the distorted ICG position and distribution information is corrected by simultaneously detecting not only the near-infrared fluorescence of the ICG but also the dark green color information of the ICG.

In this case, the fluorescent material may be indocyanine green, and the wavelength of visible light of interest may be a green wavelength.

In addition, the comparative visible light wavelength may include a red wavelength. According to such a configuration, only the green wavelength region by ICG can be more accurately extracted by extracting only the green wavelength region dominant over red, which is the main color of human organs.

In addition, the light source unit may include internal light sources of a red light source, a green light source, a blue light source, and a near-infrared light source, and may further include a light source controller for adjusting the relative intensity of the internal light sources. According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain more diverse functional images by adjusting the relative intensities of the internal light sources.

In addition, it may further include a path separator for separating the optical path of the reflected light image and the fluorescent image transmitted from the subject from each other. According to such a configuration, it is possible to detect simultaneously transmitted images using different sensor devices.

Also, the path separator may further separate the light path of the reflected light image into a red image, a green image, and a blue image. According to such a configuration, it is possible to acquire more precise reflected light image information.

Also, the image processing unit may generate a white light image by reflecting the relative intensities of the internal light sources. According to such a configuration, it is possible to acquire a natural white light image in which the relative intensities of internal light sources are reflected through image processing while acquiring various biological image information responding to different wavelengths.

Also, the image processing unit may further include an image synthesizer configured to change the fluorescence image by using information on the dominant region. According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain more intuitive fluorescence image information by changing the fluorescence image itself using the image reflected by visible light.

According to the present invention, by simultaneously detecting the near-infrared fluorescence of the ICG as well as the color information of the dark green ICG, it is possible to provide a supplemented functional image in which the distorted ICG position and distribution information is corrected.

In addition, by extracting only the green wavelength region dominant over red, which is the main color of human organs, it is possible to more accurately extract only the green wavelength region by ICG.

In addition, by adjusting the relative intensities of the internal light sources, it is possible to obtain more diverse functional images.

In addition, images transmitted at the same time can be detected using different sensor devices.

In addition, it is possible to acquire more precise reflected light image information.

In addition, it is possible to acquire a natural white light image while acquiring various image information by different wavelengths.

In addition, it is possible to obtain more intuitive fluorescence image information by changing the fluorescence image itself using the reflected light image by visible light.

1 is a view showing the absorbance and fluorescence signal spectrum of ICG.
Figure 2 shows the dependence of the fluorescence of ICG on the concentration of ICG (Jean-Michel I. Maarek, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 65, 157-164 (2001)).
3 is a diagram showing ICG fluorescence images with respect to ICG concentration.
4 and 5 are views showing ICG observation images in the collected tissue.
6 is a schematic block diagram of a functional image providing medical system according to the present invention.
7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a light source unit configured as a composite light source;
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of separation detection of visible light and near-infrared light;
9 is a diagram showing an example of R, G, B and near-infrared separation detection.
10 is a diagram illustrating an example of extracting a green dominant region having a high ICG concentration from a white light image.
11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image output unit display provided with multiple views;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6 is a schematic block diagram of a medical system for providing functional images according to the present invention. 6 , the functional image providing medical system 100 includes a light source unit 110 , a reflected light image detection unit 120 , a fluorescence image detection unit 130 , an image processing unit 140 , and an image output unit 150 . In addition, the light source unit 110 includes an internal light source 112 and a light source control unit 114 , and the image processing unit 150 further includes a white light image generation unit 152 and an image synthesis unit 154 , respectively.

The light source unit 110 emits visible light and near-infrared excitation light. In this case, the internal light source 112 may include a red light source 112-1, a green light source 112-2, a blue light source 112-3, and a near-infrared light source 114-4.

The light source control unit 114 adjusts the relative intensity of the internal light sources 112 . In this way, when the relative intensities of the internal light sources 112 are adjusted, more diverse functional images can be obtained.

For example, an LED or lamp may be used as a white light source emitting visible light, and a light source may be configured as an 805 nm near-infrared laser for excitation of ICG fluorescence. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a light source unit configured as a composite light source.

In order to provide white light based on the LED, it can also be configured as a single White LED, and as shown in FIG. 7, it is also possible to combine the outputs of Red, Green, and Blue LEDs to generate efficient white light and control the exact color of the lighting. there is. In this way, by providing a light source having a variable color, it is possible to secure a functional image of a living tissue.

More specifically, it is necessary to adjust the brightness of the light source in order to observe an image having an appropriate brightness for observing living tissue. In addition, the color of the mucous membrane at the lesion site, which contrasts with the unique color according to the tissue site, is not conspicuous, so micro-vessels or lesions may be missed. However, according to the configuration of the light source control unit 114, the penetration depth of the living tissue is different in a wavelength-dependent manner in the visible light wavelength band, and the hemoglobin absorption in the blood vessel is high, so that it is not reflected, so it has characteristics that it is easy to distribute and distinguish blood vessels.

That is, since white light is composed of red, green, and blue LEDs, while providing a white light image, by adjusting the brightness of each light source of the green LED or blue LED, an image emphasizing blood vessel distribution according to the visible light wavelength is obtained and the discriminatory power of accurate lesion detection will be able to increase

In addition, by driving a laser that excites ICG fluorescence as a pulse and synchronizing a light source driving signal and a camera to observe near-infrared fluorescence, it is possible to grasp and calculate the dynamic flow of ICG and blood flow.

The reflected light image detecting unit 120 detects a reflected light image by visible light, and the fluorescent image detecting unit 130 detects a fluorescent image by the excitation light. In this case, the path separator 140 separates the optical paths of the reflected light image and the fluorescent image transmitted from the subject. In this case, the path separator 140 may further separate the optical path of the reflected light image into a red image, a green image, and a blue image.

In order to simultaneously detect not only the near-infrared fluorescence of the ICG but also the color information of the dark green ICG, it consists of a plurality of cameras with different detection paths for the visible and near-infrared wavelengths.

This configuration is characterized in that the paths of the near-infrared and visible red wavelengths are different, and a beam splitter is configured with a dichroic prism or a dichroic mirror to separate visible and near-infrared rays, or R, G, B and near-infrared rays. Each wavelength can be isolated.

As in FIG. 8, when the visible light and the near-infrared light are separated, the RGB color camera and the near-infrared camera are used. Visible light images are acquired with an RGB color camera, and near-infrared images are acquired with a near-infrared camera. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of separation detection of visible light and near-infrared light.

As shown in FIG. 9 , when R, G, B, and near-infrared rays are separated, four cameras may be configured to acquire R, G, B, and near-infrared wavelength images, respectively. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of R, G, B and near-infrared separation detection.

As shown in FIG. 9, when R, G, B, and near infrared rays are detected respectively with four cameras, higher light transmittance than the Bayer filter of the color camera is obtained compared to the case of detecting visible light with one color camera. This allows more light to be detected with greater sensitivity, provides accurate R, G, and B values for each pixel, and provides more accurate and better spatial precision than Bayer cameras provide because no interpolation is required. .

The image processing unit 150 extracts a dominant region in the reflected light image in which the intensity of the visible ray wavelength of interest corresponding to the preset fluorescent material is greater than the intensity of the comparative visible ray wavelength, and the image output unit 160 is output from the image processing unit 150 . Output the transmitted image. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of extracting a green dominant region having a high ICG concentration from a white light image.

In this case, the fluorescent material may be indocyanine green, and the wavelength of visible light of interest may be a green wavelength. In addition, the comparative visible light wavelength may include a red wavelength. According to such a configuration, only the green wavelength region by ICG can be more accurately extracted by extracting only the green wavelength region dominant over red, which is the main color of human organs.

For example, the green dominant region is analyzed and extracted from the R, G, and B raw signals acquired from the RGB color camera including the image processing device, and only the ICG region with high density in the near-infrared fluorescence image, white light image, and white light image The extracted images may be displayed individually or overlapping each other.

It is to provide a multi-view, such as providing an image that overlaps the white light image with the near-infrared fluorescence image and the green dominant region extraction image. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image output unit display provided with multiple views.

In other words, the R, G, and B signals from each pixel of the red image, green image, and blue image acquired by the image processing device are compared and analyzed to extract a region where green with high ICG concentration is dominant, and then a near-infrared fluorescence image and a white light image. , images obtained by extracting only the densely concentrated ICG region from the white light image may be displayed individually or overlapping each other.

As such, images obtained by extracting only the densely concentrated ICG region from the near-infrared fluorescence image and the white light image, respectively or overlapping images at the same time By providing it to the doctor, it is possible to supplement the distorted information in which ICG fluorescence is not observed by reabsorption of ICG fluorescence even at high ICG concentration, and to secure an improved functional image with additional ICG location and distribution information. do.

The white light image generator 152 generates a white light image by reflecting the relative intensities of the internal light sources 112 . According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire a natural white light image in which a white balance is maintained while acquiring various image information by different wavelengths.

The image synthesizer 154 changes the fluorescence image by using information on the dominant region. For example, when an overlap image is generated using an extracted image of a green dominant region, a pseudo color image corresponding to the fluorescence intensity is provided based on the green color value in the extracted image of the green dominant region. According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain more intuitive fluorescence image information by changing the fluorescence image itself using the image reflected by visible light.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to some preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention should not be limited thereto, but should also extend to modifications or improvements of the above embodiments supported by the claims.

100: functional image providing medical system
110: light source unit
112: internal light source
114: light source control unit
120: reflected light image detection unit
130: fluorescence image detection unit
140: image processing unit
150: video output unit
152: white light image generating unit
154: image synthesizing unit

Claims (9)

a light source emitting visible light and near-infrared excitation light;
a reflected light image detection unit for detecting a reflected light image by the visible light;
a fluorescence image detection unit that detects a fluorescence image by the excitation light;
an image processing unit configured to extract a dominant region in which an intensity of a visible ray wavelength of interest corresponding to a preset fluorescent material is greater than an intensity of a comparative visible ray wavelength from the reflected light image; and
As a functional image providing medical system comprising an image output unit for outputting the image transmitted from the image processing unit,
The image processing unit includes an image synthesizing unit configured to change the fluorescence image by using the information on the dominant region,
The image synthesizing unit,
A functional image providing medical system, characterized in that the distortion due to the reabsorption of fluorescence is corrected based on the color value at the wavelength of the visible light of interest.
The method according to claim 1,
The fluorescent material is indocyanine green, and the visible light wavelength of interest is a green wavelength.
3. The method according to claim 2,
The comparative visible light wavelength is a functional image providing medical system, characterized in that it includes a red wavelength.
The method according to claim 1,
The light source unit includes a red light source, a green light source, a blue light source, and an internal light source of a near-infrared light source.
5. The method of claim 4,
The light source unit provides a functional image medical system, characterized in that it further comprises a light source control unit for adjusting the relative intensity of the internal light sources.
The method according to claim 1,
The functional image providing medical system according to claim 1, further comprising a path separating unit that separates the optical paths of the reflected light image and the fluorescent image transmitted from the subject.
7. The method of claim 6,
The path separator further separates the reflected light image into a red image, a green image, and a blue image.
6. The method of claim 5,
and the image processing unit includes a white light image generator configured to generate a white light image by reflecting the relative intensities of the internal light sources.
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