Abstract: Needles are widely used in interventional radiology. Each medical application requires a specific needle type. The same holds for the photonic needles which analysis depends on the type of application the clinician aims for. Therefore, it is relevant to have the X-ray machine recognize the type of needle that is being used and to load the required software for the tissue analysis. It is therefore proposed to have a data link established between the imaging modality used for the acquisition of the patient anatomy (X-ray, CT, MR or US) and the system that processes optical data from the needle, so that the information from this imaging modality can be used to guide the processing. In a preferred embodiment the selection is made by reading out the code present in the disposable needle when it is connected to the console.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus 100 and, a method and a computer program for determining a parameter indicative of a tissue type of an associated tissue 116. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus 100 comprising a spectrometer 102, which spectrometer comprises a light source 104 and a detector 106, 108 arranged to measure an optical spectrum. This enables determination of a first parameter being indicative of a bile concentration. As the inventors of the present invention have made the insight that bile concentration may serve as a discriminative feature for different tissue types, the apparatus is arranged to determine a second parameter indicative of a tissue type based on a concentration of bile. According to a specific embodiment, the apparatus further comprises an interventional device 112.

Abstract: The invention relates to an energy application planning apparatus for planning an application of energy to an object (3) like a tumor. An energy application element representation represents an energy application element (5) like an ablation needle including an energy application part for applying energy and a sensing part (7). An arrangement of the energy application element (5) with respect to the object (3) is determined depending on the positions of the energy application part and the sensing part (7) with respect to the energy application element (5) as defined by the energy application element representation and depending on the object representation. The application of energy can therefore not only be planned such that the application of energy is performed as desired, but also such that the object and/or a surrounding of the object are sensible as desired. In this way, the planning procedure can be improved.

Abstract: A needle is proposed including a cannula or hollow shaft with a multilumen insert inside. The insert comprises at least two lumen. Both the insert as well as the cannula have bevelled ends. In the insert substantially straight cleaved fibers are present that may be connected at the proximal end to a console. At least one of the distal fiber ends in the insert may protrude more than half the fiber diameter out of the insert. Furthermore, the bevel angle of the insert is different from the bevel angle of the cannula such that combination cannula and insert is such that the fiber ends do not protrude the bevel surface of the cannula.

Abstract: In order to improve fluorescence measurements, there is provided an apparatus and, a method and a computer program for optical analysis of an associated tissue sample, the apparatus comprising a spectrometer comprising an optical detector, a light source, a first light emitter 219 arranged for emitting photons into the associated tissue sample, a first light collector 221 arranged for receiving photons from the associated tissue sample, a second light emitter 223, a second light collector 225, wherein a reflectance spectrum is obtained via the first light emitter 219 and collector 221 and a fluorescence spectrum is obtained via the second light emitter 223 and collector 225, and where a first distance d1 between the first light emitter and collector is larger than a second distance d2 between the second light emitter and collector. By combining the data thus obtained, an intrinsic fluorescence spectrum may be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention deals with discrimination of malignant tissue from normal and benign tissue in a single patient on the basis of optical spectroscopic measurements. Starting from spectroscopic measurements in normal tissue, reference values are obtained for the normal class. With spectroscopic measurements in other tissues data points can be assigned to new class(es) when the spectral characteristics fall outside a threshold defining the reference class. Thresholds between different classes can also be defined. Finding (the transition to) malignant tissue is based on comparing the spectroscopic values to the classification threshold discriminating normal and benign versus malignant tissue. Thus, the basis of normal spectroscopic measurements is tuned to the individual patient characteristic. Discriminating the normal plus benign and malignant from that reference is more efficient compared to the reference of the all patient database.

Abstract: A needle comprises an elongated first shaft element with a C-shaped cross section and an elongated second shaft element with a C-shaped cross section. The first shaft element and the second shaft element are adapted to be detachably connected to each other. This is achieved by an overlap of respective end sections of the first and second shaft elements. Within the channel formed by the shaft elements, an optical probe may be accommodated from which the shaft elements may be removed by separating the two shaft elements from each other.

Abstract: The invention relates to a property determination apparatus (1) for determining a property of an object (3). Optical sensing data being indicative of an optical property of the object and ultrasound sensing data being indicative of an ultrasound property of the object are generated, and a property determination unit (75) determines a property of the object based on at least one of the optical sensing data and the ultrasound sensing data. Since light and ultrasound have generally different penetration depths and scattering properties with respect to the object, a property of the object can be determined with good quality, even if the quality of one of the optical sensing data and the ultrasound sensing data is reduced by, for example, a relatively small penetration depth, or if one of the optical sensing data and the ultrasound sensing data is less suitable for determining a desired property of the object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for extending microscopy information, where the microscopy information is image information from a first region (118) of an associated sample, the first region being imaged with an imaging system. The extension of the microscopy information originates from probing a larger second region (116) by photons which are emitted at an exit position (128) and collected at en entry position (130). The exit position and the entry position are spatially separated so that so that average spectral information of photons emitted from the exit position and collected at the entry position, is dependent on the second region (116) of the associated sample, the second region (116) being larger than the first region (118).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a computer program for determining a lipid-water ratio and a scattering parameter of a sample. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus comprising a light source and a detector arranged to measure an optical parameter at various wavelengths, where the wavelengths are selected so that at two of the wavelengths the absorption coefficients for both water and lipids are substantially identical. This enables determination of a scattering parameter. A further measurement at a third wavelength enables determination of a water-lipid ratio. According to a specific embodiment, the light source and the detector are arranged in relation to an interventional device, so as to be able to examine a tissue in terms of lipid-water ratio and scattering during an intervention.

Abstract: An interventional ablation device (1) is proposed to comprise an ablation needle (3) with an elongated body (5) and a handle (7). Adjacent to an ablation element (9) provided on the body (5), at least one or preferably two or more sensors (11-21) are provided, preferably at both of opposing sides of the ablation element (9). The ablation device (1) is adapted for detecting physiological information of tissue (27, 29, 31) surrounding an ablation site (33) based on measurement values provided by the sensors. E.g., optical sensors may be used to measure a reflectance spectrum indicating whether the adjacent tissue is healthy tissue (31), tumorous tissue (27) or ablated tissue (29). Using such information, an ablation process may be controlled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a medical imaging apparatus for providing information about an object. The invention further relates to a method for providing information about an object. In order to improve the preparation and the visual reception of information relating to an object during medical interventions, a medical imaging apparatus for providing information about an object is provided that comprises an image acquisition device an interventional device, a processing device and a display device. The image acquisition device detects object data from at least one region of interest of an object and provides the object data to the processing device. The interventional device detects physiological parameters of the object depending on the position of a predetermined area of the interventional device in relation to the object and provides the physiological parameters to the processing device.

Abstract: Needles are widely used in interventional radiology. Each medical application requires a specific needle type. The same holds for the photonic needles which analysis depends on the type of application the clinician aims for. Therefore, it is relevant to have the X-ray machine recognize the type of needle that is being used and to load the required software for the tissue analysis. It is therefore proposed to have a data link established between the imaging modality used for the acquisition of the patient anatomy (X-ray, CT, MR or US) and the system that processes optical data from the needle, so that the information from this imaging modality can be used to guide the processing. In a preferred embodiment the selection is made by reading out the code present in the disposable needle when it is connected to the console.

Abstract: A needle comprises a tip part, a holder part, a shaft, and fibers capable of transmitting light, wherein the shaft comprises a distal end connected to the tip part, and a proximal end connected to the holder part, wherein the tip part comprises a bevel, cutting facets, and at least one channel for accommodating a fiber, and wherein an end section of the fiber is located in the channel and an end surface of the fiber is located at one of the cutting facets. By way of the facets an introduction of the needle into tissue may be facilitated. A further aspect of the invention is a method for producing such a needle.

Abstract: Needle interventions are widely used in the field of oncology for taking biopsies of tissue in order to inspect whether tissue is cancerous or not. To make these interventions more reliable feedback of what kind of tissue is in front of the needle is required. A way to achieve this is by making use of optical spectroscopy. This requires integration of fibers into the needle. These fibers are used to deliver light to illuminate the tissue in front of the needle and to collect back the reflected light from the tissue. The present invention proposes to integrate the fiber distal ends in the slanted bevel of the needle in such a way that at least one source-detector fiber pair has a distance that is larger than the outer diameter of the needle.

Abstract: Needles equipped with fibres allow tissue inspection based on optical spectroscopy to diagnose whether tissue is cancerous or not. This requires integration of optical fibers into needles. The problem is how to manufacture the needle having at least one fiber exit at the distal end of the needle, where the fiber does not obstruct the hollow part of the needle if present as well as does not extend beyond the outer cylinder geometry. To solve this problem we propose to manufacture the needle consisting of four parts: an inner cylinder tube, an outer hollow cylinder tube, a needle tip part with integrated fiber exit and a holder part, wherein the hollow spacing between the inner and the outer cylinder is larger or equal to the outer diameter of the fibers, the inner and the outer cylinder are mounted in the holder part and where the tip part is mounted on the two cylinders.