Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for characterizing thin films, such as, for example, diagnosis of dry eye syndrome, thin-film optical metrology testing, etc. The present disclosure may be embodied as a tearscope, which is sometimes referred to herein as a Macroscopic Imaging Ellipsometer (MIE) because it may be considered to be an imaging ellipsometer with, for example, a field-of-view on the order of tens of millimeters or more (i.e., macroscopic), compared with conventional imaging ellipsometers, which usually employ microscope objectives and have fields-of-view of up to several hundred microns.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for characterizing thin films, such as, for example, diagnosis of dry eye syndrome, thin-film optical metrology testing, etc. The present disclosure may be embodied as a tearscope, which is sometimes referred to herein as a Macroscopic Imaging Ellipsometer (MIE) because it may be considered to be an imaging ellipsometer with, for example, a field-of-view on the order of tens of millimeters or more (i.e., macroscopic), compared with conventional imaging ellipsometers, which usually employ microscope objectives and have fields-of-view of up to several hundred microns.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for characterizing thin films, such as, for example, diagnosis of dry eye syndrome, thin-film optical metrology testing, etc. The present disclosure may be embodied as a tearscope, which is sometimes referred to herein as a Macroscopic Imaging Ellipsometer (MIE) because it may be considered to be an imaging ellipsometer with, for example, a field-of-view on the order of tens of millimeters or more (i.e., macroscopic), compared with conventional imaging ellipsometers, which usually employ microscope objectives and have fields-of-view of up to several hundred microns.

Abstract: A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having a rigid optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a pliable membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member, having an aperture therethrough, which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window at multiple points or locations around the tissue specimen. The specimen retained in the cavity is imagable by a microscope through the window of the base member.

Abstract: A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having a rigid optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a pliable membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member, having an aperture therethrough, which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window at multiple points or locations around the tissue specimen. The specimen retained in the cavity is imagible by a microscope through the window of the base member.

Abstract: A tray or holder for tissue specimens, especially of excised tissue, such as biopsied specimens, is used with a confocal imaging system. The tray may be disposable after imaging of the specimen carried therein or may archive the specimen. A window supports the specimen. Clamps mounted inside the tray restrain the tissue. A compliant bag is mounted outside the tray on one side of a window of the tray on which the specimen is disposed. During imaging the specimen is immersed in a liquid contained in the tray having an index of refraction which closely matches the index of refraction of the tissue. The bag also contains an index matching liquid preferably having the same index as the liquid in the tray. Selecting an immersion liquid, which equals the refractive index of the near surface tissues, minimizes wavefront distortion which may result from an effectively corrugated surface of the specimen.

Abstract: A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having a rigid optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a pliable membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member, having an aperture therethrough, which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window at multiple points or locations around the tissue specimen. The specimen retained in the cavity is imagible by a microscope through the window of the base member.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for imaging a section of a medium are disclosed. The section of medium has features (“Polarization Sensitive Features”) which return light according to the polarization of the received light. The disclosed apparatus and method may be configured to measure the irradiance of light returned from the object across the lateral (with respect to the optical axis) dimension.

Abstract: An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.

Abstract: A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having a rigid optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a pliable membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member, having an aperture therethrough, which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window at multiple points or locations around the tissue specimen. The specimen retained in the cavity is imagible a microscope through the window of the base member.

Abstract: A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having an optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may then be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window around the tissue specimen. The cassette may be part of a confocal imaging system to produce microscopic images of sections of the tissue specimen useful for Mohs surgery.

Abstract: An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.

Abstract: Encapsulated tissue is contained in an optically transparent cassette (34). The cassette (34) or an endcap (38) enclosing the cassette is marked with a fiducial (40) indicating and corresponding to the location of the excision on the patient's body. An image, which is preferably a representation of a surface of the tissue specimen and the vertical section(s) area of the tissue internal of the specimen and adjacent to a surface thereof, is obtained by an imaging system (10). The cassette is moved, preferably in a stage (22) which rotates the cassette while translating it, so that the head (12) of the imaging system provides a linear scan in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the cassette (also perpendicular to the surface of the tissue encapsulated in the cassette). The imaging system's display (28) indicates the morphology at and in proximity to the surface of the specimen as well as the location thereof.

Abstract: A system for macroscopic and confocal imaging of tissue having a macroscopic imager for capturing a macroscopic image of the tissue's surface, a confocal imager for capturing one or more optically formed sectional microscopic images on or within tissue, a computer for receiving images from such imagers, and a tissue attachment device in which the macroscopic imager and confocal imager are each individually presented to the tissue utilizing the tissue attachment device in a predefined alignment, such that imaging locations of the confocal imager with respect to the tissue surface spatially correlate with macroscopic image. A user interface is operable on the computer to enable display of the macroscopic image on a display coupled to the computer, and to indicate a region within the macroscopic image associated with the field of view of the tissue imagable by the confocal imager.

Abstract: A handheld confocal imaging system for in vivo observation of dermal and subdermal tissue allows diagnosis of conditions substantially beneath the surface of the skin. A confocal head has optics which scan the tissue so as to provide images of vertical sections of the tissue. Both two and three dimensional imaging may be provided for diagnosis and location of basal cell carcinomas and melanomas, and so as to enable visualization of tumor borders prior to excision.

Abstract: A system is provided for marking on a recording medium (36), such as a label, the location of imaged tissue with respect to an exposed surface of the tissue (34). Tissue is imaged by a microscope (11) capable of imaging sections of the tissue below the exposed tissue surface through optics. A ring (32) applied to the surface of the tissue stabilizes the tissue to the optics and localizes a portion of the tissue surface through an aperture in the ring. An actuator (38) is connected to both the ring and the microscope for moving the ring to adjust the position of the tissue with respect to the optics, thereby allowing an operator of the system to survey different images of tissue sections with the microscope.

Abstract: A system is provided for marking on a recording medium (36), such as a label, the location of imaged tissue with respect to an exposed surface of the tissue (34). Tissue is imaged by a microscope (11) capable of imaging sections of the tissue below the exposed tissue surface through optics. A ring (32) applied to the surface of the tissue stabilizes the tissue to the optics and localizes a portion of the tissue surface through an aperture in the ring. An actuator (38) is connected to both the ring and the microscope for moving the ring to adjust the position of the tissue with respect to the optics, thereby allowing an operator of the system to survey different images of tissue sections with the microscope.

Abstract: A confocal scanning microscope system (10) using cross polarization effects and an enhancement agent (acetic acid) to enhance confocal microscope reflectance images of the nuclei of BCCs (basal cell carcinomas) and SCCs (squamous cell carcinomas) in the confocal reflectance images of excised tumor slices. The confocal scanning microscope system having a laser (11) for generating an illumination beam (12), a polygon mirror (18) for scanning the beam to a tissue sample (22) and for receiving a returned beam from the tissue sample and detector (28) for detecting the returned beam to form an image. The system further includes a half-wave plate (13) having a rotatable stage (14) and a quarter-wave plate (21) having a rotatable stage (20) disposed in the optical path of the illumination beam and at least a linear polarizer (24) having a rotatable stage (25) disposed in the optical path of the returned beam from the tissue sample.

Abstract: In order to determine, rapidly and without the delay required by conventional tissue preparation techniques for pathological examination (freezing, sectioning, staining, etc.), whether, an excision, which may be a biopsy sample, is representative of the morphology of interest of whether an excisional biopsy in which the tissue taken completely removes the abnormality is, in either case, the tissue which is desired to be excisioned, the tissue specimen (18) in encapsulated, preferably as part of the biopsy procedure. The encapsulated tissue is contained in an optically transparent cassette (34). The cassette (34) or an endcap (38) enclosing the cassette is marked with a fiducial (40) indicating and corresponding to the location of the excision on the patient's body.

Abstract: An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.