Abstract: Surgical operation supporting apparatus and method is disclosed in which based on a high-definition tomographic images of an operation site produced before surgery, a three-dimensional model of the operation site is generated, and a surface of the operation site is optically measured during the surgical operation, and further, first position information that represents a three-dimensional position of each of points on the surface is acquired. An unexposed portion of the operation site is measured with ultrasonic waves during the surgical operation, and second position information that represents a three-dimensional position of each of points in the unexposed portion is acquired. Based on the first position information and the second position information, displacement and distortion at a portion whose three-dimensional position is not known in the three-dimensional model is estimated to obtain an estimated result.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer capable of obtaining a clear microscopic observation image with high spatial resolution in real time, even during a mass analysis, without affecting the analysis is provided. An aperture 1a is formed in a stage 1 on which a sample plate 2 to be placed. The sample plate 2 is transparent or translucent. A microscopic observation unit, including an observation optical system 20 and a CCD camera 21, is provided below the stage 1 to observe the reverse side of the sample 3 through the aperture 1a of the stage 1 as well as the transparent sample plate 2. The observed image is displayed on the screen of a display unit 27. If the sample 3 is a slice of biological tissue, the sample image taken from the reverse side will be substantially the same as an image taken from the obverse side.

Abstract: Presentation of images showing with high resolution the state of a surgical field during surgery is realized with a simple configuration. When performing surgery, a three-dimensional model is generate based on MRI images of a patient captured prior to surgery, and three-dimensional coordinates of each location on a surface of the patient are measured by scanning a laser beam over the surface and detecting laser beam reflected therefrom, and correspondence is made with the MRI image for each location of the surface (frameless/markerless: steps 100 to 116), the position of a surgical instrument is also detected by the laser beam, the position of the surgical instrument derived, and images of the surgical instrument combined onto the MRI images and displayed during surgery (steps 120 to 130).

Abstract: The invention relates to a microscopic cell observation and inspection system that uses a total internal reflection cell illuminator that is capable of freely changing an observation position without recourse to any special slide glass, makes sure high SN-ratio observation and facilitates sample manipulation, thereby making high-sensitivity, fast detection of a lot of cell reactions on the same slide glass. While, in response to a command from personal computer (80), step motors (53, 54) are driven to sequentially scan observation positions of cell sample (S) on slide glass (21), one of shutter units (71) and (72) is closed and the other is opened at high speed, whereby either one of illumination optical paths for a TIRF microscope and a drop fluorescence microscope is selected to illuminate cell sample (S) on that observation position.

Abstract: A switch-type imaging fiber apparatus and a branch-type imaging fiber apparatus are provided. Light emitted from a laser light source is made incident on an opening of an IF (image fiber) guided by a GM (galvanometer), output from an optical system provided at a leading end portion of the IF, and applied to an observation target. The light reflected by the observation target is sent back to the IF, transformed into parallel light by an f? objective lens, reflected by a dichroic mirror, made incident on an image pickup device (CCD) via an imaging lens, and can be observed on a monitor. The GM is controlled to switch to make the light incident on the opening of an arbitrary one of a plurality of IFs. Accordingly, observation can be performed by focusing the light solely on the arbitrary IF.

Abstract: Surgical operation supporting apparatus and method is disclosed in which based on a plurality of high-definition tomographic images of an operation site produced before surgery, a three-dimensional model of the operation site is generated, and a surface of the operation site is optically measured during the surgical operation, and further, first position information that represents a three-dimensional position of each of points on the surface of the operation site is acquired. Further, an unexposed portion of the operation site is measured with ultrasonic waves during the surgical operation, and the second position information that represents a three-dimensional position of each of points in the unexposed portion of the operation site is acquired. Moreover, based on the first position information and the second position information, displacement and distortion occurring at each of the points in the operation site are estimated using the generated three-dimensional model.