IMAGING DISEASED TISSUE USING AUTOFLUORESCENCE

摘要

An apparatus for imaging body tissue utilizing autofluorescence includes an endoscope (30) having a distal end (32), proximal end (31) and a light processing unit (33) located at the proximal end (31). The light processing unit accepts light in a spectral region from a light source (40) and directs the light through the endoscope to the tissue (5) located at the distal end (32). The light excites autofluorescence in the tissue. Optics (35) located in the distal end (32) of the endoscope collect the excited autofluorescence in a spatially resolved manner and routes it to the light processing unit (33) which separates the emitted light from any reflected excitation light. A plurality of imaging detectors (45) receive the emitted light. Each imaging detector is responsive to light in a different spectral band. An apparatus for sampling tissue includes an endoscopic device (30) comprising a sampling device (220) capable of taking a plurality of tissue samples, deposited in separate captive units (226).