| abstract |
A computerized apparatus implementing a real time detection algorithm for non drug-activated imaging diseases, e.g. in cervical and bladder tissues. The apparatus employs an ultra-bright metal halide light source, utilizing its definite and sharp purple & green spectral lines, for producing excitation light to excite the tissue to generate a combined reflection & autofluorescence light from the tissue. An advanced optical system, coupled to a digital color & multi spectral camera, is used for collecting the combined reflection & autofluorescence light from the inspected tissues. This system contains a miniature filter wheel, running synchronously with the camera video frame—rate (i.e.—30 frames/sec for NTSC or 25 frames/sec for PAL). Utilizing this synchronously-running filter wheel and an advanced frame grabber for real time buffering and multi tasked spectral and spatial segmentation algorithm implementations, the malignant and pre-malignant tissues are automatically detected and differed from regular/benign tissues. Moreover, these (dysplasm/neoplasm) cancerous and/or pre-cancerous lesions are marked in real time (as glow overlays) on a regular color image. |