阅读说明：本技术 微型血管内荧光超声成像导管 (Micro intravascular fluorescence ultrasonic imaging catheter ) 是由 斯蒂芬·凯伦伯格 瓦西利斯·恩齐亚克里斯托斯 德米特里·博日科 法鲁克·加法尔 于 2019-06-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种混合型NIRF/IVUS成像探头,其包含i)空间截头的光学透镜,该光学透镜的基本平坦的表面相对于轴线倾斜,以反射在探头的近端和远端之间传输的光,该光在内部进入透镜的主体；以及ii)声学换能器,其与光学透镜依次设置在探头的轴线上,同时探头的传输辐射和机械能(探头与目标身体血管交换该辐射和机械能)的光学和电学构件在探头的壳体内彼此平行。一种用于操作探头的方法,致使形成目标的空间共配准的光学和声学图像。相关成像系统和计算机程序产品。(A hybrid NIRF/IVUS imaging probe comprising i) a spatially truncated optical lens having a substantially planar surface inclined relative to an axis to reflect light transmitted between a proximal end and a distal end of the probe that enters internally into a body of the lens; and ii) an acoustic transducer, which is arranged in sequence with the optical lens on the axis of the probe, while the optical and electrical components of the probe that transmit radiation and mechanical energy (which the probe exchanges with the target body vessel) are parallel to each other within the housing of the probe. A method for operating a probe results in the formation of spatially co-registered optical and acoustic images of a target. Related imaging systems and computer program products.)

1. An imaging probe having a probe axis and comprising:

an optically transparent member extending parallel to the probe axis from a proximal end of the probe to a distal end of the probe and terminating in an optical transceiver integrally fixed to the optically transparent member at the distal end of the probe; and

an electrically conductive member extending parallel to the optically transparent member from a proximal end of the probe to the distal end of the probe and terminating in an acoustic transducer,

wherein the acoustic transducer and the optical transceiver are sequentially disposed on the probe axis.

2. The imaging probe of claim 1, further comprising a shell element at least partially enclosing the optically transparent member, the optical transceiver, the electrically conductive member, and the acoustic transducer and dimensioned to not exceed 1.2mm in diameter.

3. The imaging probe according to claim 2, further comprising a torque coil disposed inside the sheath and configured to rotate during the operation, wherein each of the optically transparent member and the electrically conductive member is disposed inside the torque coil.

4. The imaging probe of claim 1, further comprising a shell element at least partially enclosing the optically transparent member, the optical transceiver, the electrically conductive member, and the acoustic transducer and sized to be less than 0.7mm in diameter.

5. The imaging probe according to claim 4, further comprising a torque coil disposed inside the sheath and configured to rotate during the operation, wherein each of the optically transparent member and the electrically conductive member is disposed inside the torque coil.

6. The imaging probe according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shell element comprises a first aperture and a second aperture in a wall of the shell element, the first aperture being optically transparent and the second aperture being acoustically transparent, the first aperture and the second aperture being spatially coordinated with the optical transceiver and the acoustic transducer, respectively.

7. The imaging probe of claim 6, wherein the first and second bores are formed on the same side of the housing relative to the axis of the probe.

8. The imaging probe according to one of claims 1,2 and 3, wherein the optical transceiver is a plano-convex optical lens, and wherein a planar surface of the optical lens is tilted with respect to an axis of the optically transparent member.

9. The imaging probe of one of claims 1 and 8, wherein the acoustic transducer and the optical transceiver are oriented such that a first beam of light and a second beam of energy overlap at a location of a medium surrounding the probe, the first beam of light having been delivered via the optically transparent member, the first beam of light being reflected from a substantially flat surface of the optical transceiver and transmitted through the optical transceiver to the medium, and the second beam of energy being generated by the acoustic transducer in response to the electrical signal, the electrical signal having been delivered from the proximal end to the medium via the electrically conductive member.

10. The imaging probe of claim 9, wherein the location is in a plane containing an axis of the housing.

11. The imaging probe of one of claims 1,2, 3, and 6, further comprising a fluid-tight chamber containing at least the optical transceiver and filled with a fluid separating the optical transceiver from walls of the chamber.

12. The imaging probe of claim 1, wherein the optical transceiver has a body that is spatially confined by a spatially curved surface and a substantially flat surface and is directly fixed to the optically transparent member at the spatially curved surface.

13. The imaging probe according to one of claims 1 to 12, being free of an optical prism.

14. A method for operating an imaging probe having an axis and a sheath, the method comprising:

transmitting light inside an optical member extending along the axis inside the sheath between and connecting the proximal end of the probe and an optical transceiver,

wherein the optical transceiver is directly secured to the distal end of the optical member; and

transmitting electrical signals via an electrically conductive member extending parallel to the optical member inside the sheath and connecting the proximal end of the probe and the acoustic transducer,

wherein the acoustic transducer and the optical transceiver are disposed in sequence with one another along the axis.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

internally reflecting the light from a substantially planar surface of the optical transceiver into a body of the optical transceiver, the substantially planar surface being inclined relative to an optical axis of the optical component.

16. The method according to one of claims 14 and 15, further comprising at least one of:

-coupling the light internally reflected by the substantially flat surface into the body of the optical transceiver out through a spatially curved surface of the optical transceiver into an ambient medium surrounding the optical transceiver to form a first excitation light beam; and

-coupling the light collected by the optical transceiver from the environmental medium through the spatially curved surface of the optical transceiver and internally reflected by the substantially flat surface into the body of the optical transceiver into the optical member to form a fluorescence signal delivered to the proximal end.

17. The method of one of claims 14 to 16, wherein said transmitting light comprises transmitting light through said optical transceiver directly attached to said distal end of said optical member at a spatially curved surface of said optical transceiver.

18. The method of one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the transmitting light comprises transmitting light through a fluid sealed in a chamber containing the optical transceiver and separating the optical transceiver from the sheath.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmitting light through a fluid comprises transmitting light through a gas.

20. The method of one of claims 14 to 19, further comprising generating mechanical energy and directing the mechanical energy between a surface of the acoustic transducer that is tilted with respect to the axis and the target.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the following conditions is met:

a) wherein the mechanical energy comprises a second acoustic beam generated by the acoustic transducer; and comprises

Spatially overlapping the first excitation light beam and the second sound beam delivered through the sheath to define a region comprising illumination with the first beam and insonation with the second beam, the first excitation light beam being coupled out from the optical transceiver through the sheath after reflecting the light from a substantially flat surface of the optical transceiver and transmitting the light through a spatially curved surface of the optical transceiver; and

b) wherein the mechanical energy comprises a third acoustic beam formed at the target in response to the target being insonated by the second beam.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising

Positioning the region on the target to cause the target to generate fluorescence and acoustic energy; and

after reflecting the fluorescent light through the substantially planar surface, collecting the fluorescent light by the optical member while converting the acoustic energy into return electrical signals to co-register the fluorescent light and the return electrical signals by electronic circuitry operatively connected to the probe at the proximal end.

23. The method according to one of claims 21 and 22, wherein the spatially overlapping includes spatially overlapping the first beam and the second beam at a location on a plane containing the axis of the probe.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting light comprises transmitting first and second light through the optical transceiver, wherein the optical transceiver has a body bounded by a first spatially curved surface and a second substantially flat surface, wherein the second light is emitted at a location outside the sheath that has been illuminated by the first light.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein each of said transmitting said light inside an optical member and said transmitting said electrical signal via an electrically conductive member comprises transmitting energy inside said sheath having a diameter of less than 1.2 millimeters.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the imaging probe further comprises a torque coil disposed inside the sheath and configured to rotate during the operation, wherein the transmitting each of the energies comprises transmitting the energy inside the torque coil.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein each of said transmitting said light inside an optical member and said transmitting said electrical signal via an electrically conductive member comprises transmitting energy inside said sheath having a diameter of less than 0.7 millimeters.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the imaging probe further comprises a torque coil disposed inside the sheath and configured to rotate during the operation, wherein the transmitting each of the energies comprises transmitting the energy inside the torque coil.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the following conditions is met:

(i) said transmitting said light inside an optical component comprises transmitting light through a lensed fiber;

(ii) said transmitting light inside the optical component comprises transmitting light through an optical fiber terminating in a cleaved reflective surface;

(iii) wherein the operation does not use an optical prism; and

(iv) wherein the acoustic transducer and the optical transceiver are sequentially disposed on the axis of the probe.

30. The method of one of claims 14 to 18, further comprising:

by using an opto-electronic circuit at the proximal end of the probe,

a) receiving return electrical signals acquired with the acoustic transceiver from a first location outside the sheath to form a first image representative of the anatomy at the first location;

and

b) receiving a return optical signal acquired in transmission through the optical transceiver from a second location outside the sheath to form a second image characterizing the molecular structure of the second location, wherein the return optical signal contains fluorescent light generated at the target in response to the target being illuminated by excitation light delivered from the proximal end of the optical member and internally reflected by the substantially flat reflector into the body of the optical transceiver.

31. An imaging system configured to generate a spatially co-registered first image and a second image, the first image representing an anatomical structure of a target and the second image representing a molecular structure of the target, the imaging system comprising:

an imaging catheter having an axis and proximal and distal ends and comprising

i) An optically transparent member extending parallel to the axis from the proximal end to the distal end of the probe;

ii) an optical lens, a body of the optical lens being contained between a spatially curved surface and a substantially flat surface, the optical lens being fixed to the optically transparent member at the spatially curved surface such that the substantially flat surface is inclined with respect to an axis of the optically transparent member; and

iii) an electrically conductive member extending parallel to the optically transparent member from the proximal end to the distal end of the probe and terminating in an acoustic transducer,

wherein the acoustic transducer and the optical transceiver are disposed in sequence on the axis of the catheter;

a motor drive subsystem including an optical rotary joint and a slip ring, the motor drive subsystem operably attached to the proximal end;

and

the device comprises an optical transparent component, an excitation light source, an ultrasonic pulse generator and an echo detector, wherein the excitation light source is optically connected with the optical transparent component through the optical rotary joint, and the ultrasonic pulse generator and the echo detector are electrically connected with the conductive component through the slip ring.

32. The imaging system of claim 31, further comprising a housing element at least partially enclosing the optically transparent member, the optical transceiver, the electrically conductive member, and the acoustic transducer, and dimensioned to be no more than 1.2mm in diameter.

33. The imaging system of one of claims 31 and 32, further comprising a programmable computer processor and a tangible, non-transitory storage medium having program code embodied thereon, which when downloaded onto the programmable processor causes the programmable processor to implement at least one of:

(i) operating the excitation light source and the ultrasonic pulse generator in a time-coordinated manner to deliver the excitation light and electrical pulses to the optical lens and the acoustic transducer, respectively;

(ii) changing the position of the catheter relative to a selected target while collecting return electrical and optical signals respectively representative of acoustic waves generated at the target and fluorescent light generated at the target; and

(iii) forming a spatially co-registered first image and second image based on the return electrical signal data and the return optical signal data;

(iv) the NIRF signal is range corrected based on the detected US signal to generate quantitative NIRF molecular images.

34. The imaging system of one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the catheter is free of an optical prism.

35. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a microprocessor, and

a computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code disposed therein for operating an imaging system equipped with a light source, an electrical pulse generator and an imaging probe, said imaging probe comprising an optical transceiver and an acoustic transducer disposed adjacent to each other on an axis of said imaging probe, wherein said optical transceiver comprises a substantially flat surface inclined at a first angle relative to said axis and said acoustic transducer comprises a transducer surface inclined at a second angle relative to said axis, said computer readable program code comprising a first series of computer readable program steps to effect:

generating excitation light at the light source and electrical pulses at the electrical pulse generator in a time-coordinated manner; and

forming a first visually perceptible representation and a second visually perceptible representation of a target that has been (i) illuminated by excitation light that is delivered to the target after the excitation light is reflected from the substantially flat surface, and (ii) insonated by an acoustic beam delivered from the acoustic transducer,

wherein the first visually perceptible representation is formed in light having a wavelength longer than that of the excitation light, an

Wherein the first and second visually perceptible representations are spatially co-registered due to the first and second angles being non-zero angles.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 35, wherein the computer readable program code comprises a second series of computer readable program steps to effect:

repositioning a distal end of the imaging probe relative to the target while rotating the distal end by up to 360 degrees about the axis, and then retracting the imaging probe to acquire a 3D helical data set.