A body cavity drainage device includes a drainage tube with a distal end configured for insertion into the body cavity of a patient, a fluid outlet at a proximal end of the drainage tube; and an activation apparatus coupled to the drainage tube between the proximal end of the drainage tube and the distal end of the drainage tube. The activation apparatus may be configured to alter a position of the distal end of the drainage tube in response to an input at a control device of the activation apparatus, and a first portion of the drainage tube extending from the activation apparatus toward the distal end may be at least substantially coaxial with a second portion of the drainage tube extending from the activation apparatus toward the proximal end. Methods relate to forming a body cavity drainage devices.

A method for measuring a glomerular filtration rate in a mammalian kidney comprises a source of reporter and marker fluorescent molecules. The fluorescent molecules are introduced into the blood stream of a mammalian subject. Over a period of time, a measurement of the intensities of the reporter and marker fluorescent molecules is taken. A ratio is calculated to determine the health of the subject's kidney. This method measures volume of plasma distribution based on a fluorescence of a marker molecule relative to a fluorescence of a reporter molecule.

Methods and apparatuses for enlarging the optical scan angle of imaging probes are provided. The optical scan angle of endoscopic probes can be increased by employing the “Snell's Window” effect. An endoscopic probe can include an endoscope shell, a device for capturing electromagnetic radiation, and a liquid or gel provided between the device for capturing electromagnetic radiation and the endoscope shell. The endoscope probe can further include a first mirror placed such that electromagnetic radiation entering through the endoscope shell can bounce off the first mirror and enter the device for capturing electromagnetic radiation. The first mirror can be a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror.

An exemplary apparatus for obtaining data for at least one portion within at least one luminal or hollow sample can be provided. For example, the apparatus can include a first optical arrangement configured to transceive at least one electromagnetic radiation to and from the portion(s). The apparatus can also include a wavelength dispersive second arrangement, which can be configured to disperse the electromagnetic radiation(s). A housing can be provided with a shape of a pill, and enclosing the first and second arrangements.

Endoscope window assembly designs and methods of assembling sub-millimeter imaging endoscopes are disclosed. An endoscope apparatus comprises an elongated cylindrical probe having rotating illumination optics in the middle and at least one detection fiber and a spectrometer connected to the detection fiber and a light source connected to the illumination optics and a processor for imaging. An optically transparent window is attached to the cylindrical probe at the distal end thereof, the window seals the rotating illumination optics inside the cylindrical probe, and the at least one detection fiber is located on the outer surface of the cylindrical probe. The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a window component that covers only the illumination component of the optical probe. Endoscope embodiments where the window component covers only the illumination component eliminate or significantly reduce exposure of detection fibers to reflected illumination light without blocking a light collection optical path.

A method of performing medical procedure includes inserting a working channel into a bodily cavity, the working channel having an elongated shaft with a first lumen and a second lumen and an inflatable balloon positioned at a distal end of the shaft and having a mesh disposed an outer wall thereof, wherein the mesh creates a textured surface that prevents slippage of the balloon on surrounding tissue, advancing the working channel through the bodily cavity until the inflatable balloon reaches an anchoring position, anchoring the working channel at the anchoring position by supplying fluid via a pump until the balloon is inflated and the textured surface grips the surrounding tissue, inserting at least one medical instrument through the second lumen and performing the medical procedure, withdrawing the medical instrument from the second lumen, deflating the inflatable balloon, and withdrawing the working channel from the bodily cavity.

[Object] To propose an information processing device, an image acquisition system, an information processing method, an image information acquisition method, and a program which enable a position of a surface of a measurement subject to be more simply specified.

[Solution] An information processing device according to the present invention includes: a representative luminance value specifying unit configured to, when luminance values constituting a plurality of fluorescence images of a measurement subject captured while a position of the measurement subject in a thickness direction is changed are sequentially rearranged from a highest luminance value on the basis of the fluorescence images for each of the fluorescence images corresponding to respective thickness positions, extract a luminance value ranked at a predetermined position from the highest luminance value and set the extracted luminance value as a representative luminance value of the fluorescence image at the thickness position to be noted; and a surface position specifying unit configured to use the representative luminance value for each of the fluorescence images and set the thickness position corresponding to the fluorescence image that gives the maximum representative luminance value as a position corresponding to a surface of the measurement subject.

This optical scanning method yields a high quality image regardless of the size of the scanning area. An emission end of an optical fiber is displaced two-dimensionally to scan light emitted from the optical fiber, the emission end being displaced by an optical scanning actuator that includes a first driver and a second driver for driving the emission end in different directions. A non-circular scanning area is scanned by controlling, with a driver controller, a first drive signal supplied to the first driver and a second drive signal supplied to the second driver so as to rotate a scanning pattern of the light, while causing the scanning pattern to reciprocate repeatedly in a nearly parallel manner, and to change a length of the scanning pattern in accordance with a rotation angle of the scanning pattern.

A system comprises a housing, a light source, a light guide configured to guide a light from the light source. The light guide includes a plurality of detection target configured to provide optical effect on the light in accordance with a bend state of the light guide. A light detector is configured to detect the light emitted from the light guide and provide information of the detected light. A communication unit is configured to transmit wirelessly the information of the detected light. The communication unit is disposed in the housing.

An image pickup apparatus includes a silicon layer, a rewiring layer including low-permittivity insulating bodies having a permittivity that is lower than a permittivity of silicon oxide, and a cover glass, and a cutout portion is provided in the silicon layer, wirings are provided on the cutout portion, the wirings do not cover at least a part of the low-permittivity insulating bodies in the rewiring layer, the low-permittivity insulating body being exposed at the cutout portion, and the cutout portion is covered by a second protection film including a metal material via a first protection film including an insulating material.