Systems and methods for imaging and processing tissue

Inventors

Ragan, Timothy

Assignees

TissueVision Inc

Abstract

In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, a method for imaging tissue, for example, includes the steps of mounting the tissue on a computer controlled stage of a microscope, determining volumetric imaging parameters, directing at least two photons into a region of interest, scanning the region of interest across a portion of the tissue, imaging layers of the tissue, sectioning a portion of the tissue, capturing the sectioned tissue, and imaging additional layers of the tissue in a second volume of the tissue, and capturing each portion of sectioned tissue, and processing three-dimensional data that is collected to create a three-dimensional image of the region of interest. Further, captured tissue sections can be processed, re-imaged, and indexed to their original location in the three dimensional image.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to imaging a tissue sample by illuminating a first region of tissue within a tissue sample with light, detecting light to form an image of the first region including tissue below a first sectioning depth, and sectioning a portion of the imaged tissue at the first sectioning depth to expose a second region and form a first section of tissue. The process is repeated for the second region by illuminating and detecting light to form an image of the second region including tissue below a second sectioning depth, and sectioning at the second sectioning depth to form a second section of tissue.

The invention further processes the first section and the second section and images the processed sections to form processed OCT tissue images using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging mode. The processed OCT tissue images are analyzed in combination with at least the image of the first region to register the OCT tissue images of the first section and the second section, thereby registering OCT images associated with multiple sectioning depths back to the corresponding imaging context of the first-region image.

In an organ implementation, the invention illuminates a first region of tissue within an organ positioned in an optical path of an imaging system and detects light to form a first image including tissue below a first sectioning depth, then sectioning at the first sectioning depth exposes a second region and forms a first tissue section. The invention registers the first image of the first region with the first image of the second region, processes both tissue sections, images the processed sections with an OCT imaging mode to form processed OCT tissue images, and analyzes the processed OCT tissue images together with at least the first image of the first region to register the processed OCT tissue images of the first and second tissue sections.

Claims Coverage

The document includes two independent method claims. Across the independent claims, the core coverage centers on repeated imaging-to-sectioning at different sectioning depths, OCT imaging of processed sections, and analyzing and using pre-sectioning images to register OCT tissue images of first and second sections.

Overall, the independent claims define a workflow that images tissue regions up to sectioning depths, sections to form multiple tissue sections, processes and images the processed sections with OCT, and uses analysis together with at least the first-region image, and for the organ claim registration of first- and second-region images, to register OCT tissue images of corresponding sections.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications