An optical system and apparatus for the diagnosis of a biological sample is disclosed. An embodiment of the apparatus includes an optical probe, a probe head distally connectable to the optical probe, the optical probe further comprising at least one optical element for applying an electromagnetic radiation of a first wavelength to the biological sample, and one or more collection elements positioned proximate the at least one optical element; and an analyzer for analyzing a signal received from the biological sample by the one or more collection elements.

Apparatus and systems are described that include physical media related to accepting at least one attribute associated with an individual from a licensed health care provider and/or presenting an output of an artificial sensory experience associated with a request to measure at least one effect of a bioactive agent on the attribute associated with individual.

An optical system and apparatus for the diagnosis of a biological sample is disclosed. An embodiment of the apparatus includes an optical probe, a probe head distally connectable to the optical probe, the optical probe further comprising at least one optical element for applying an electromagnetic radiation of a first wavelength to the biological sample, and one or more collection elements positioned proximate the at least one optical element; and an analyzer for analyzing a signal received from the biological sample by the one or more collection elements.

A photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) device for the in vivo detection of cells circulating in blood or lymphatic vessels is described. Ultrasound transducers attached to the skin of an organism detect the photoacoustic ultrasound waves emitted by target objects in response to their illumination by at least one pulse of laser energy delivered using at least one wavelength. The wavelengths of the laser light pulse may be varied to optimize the absorption of the laser energy by the target object. Target objects detected by the device may be unlabelled biological cells or cell products, contrast agents, or biological cells labeled with one or more contrast agents.

A device and method of using the device to detect the presence and composition of clots and other target objects in a circulatory vessel of a living subject is described. In particular, devices and methods of detecting the presence and composition of clots and other target objects in a circulatory vessel of a living subject using in vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry techniques is described.

A method and system for the diagnosis of 3D images are disclosed, which significantly cuts the time required for the diagnosis. The 3D images are for example an image volume dataset of a magnetic resonance tomography system which is saved in an RIS or PACS system. In at least one embodiment, the diagnostic finding are partially automatically generated, and details of the position, size and change in pathological structures are compared to previous diagnostic findings are generated automatically. As a result of this automation the diagnostic work of radiologists is significantly reduced.

One aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus for assessment of parathyroid gland viability comprising a diffuser configured to diffuse a beam of light onto a tissue surface of a parathyroid gland of a patient to illuminate the tissue surface; and means for obtaining speckle contrast images for the assessment of parathyroid gland viability.

This disclosure provides a method for imaging lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels without a contrast agent. The method includes providing, using an optical source, an infrared illumination to a region of a subject having at least one lymphatic component, detecting a reflected portion of the infrared illumination directly reflected from the region using a sensor positioned thereabout, and generating at least one image indicative of the at least one lymphatic component in the subject using the reflected portion of the infrared illumination.

A method for visualization of faint fluorescence in surgery. The method including: emitting excitation light from an excitation light source onto an operation area containing a faint fluorescence source, as well as white light from a white light source, capturing one or more fluorescence images of the operation area at a wavelength range of fluorescence light emitted by the faint fluorescence source as well as one or more white light images, performing image processing on the one or more fluorescence images and creating one or more false color fluorescence images from the one or more fluorescence images, wherein a contrast between the fluorescence light emitted by the faint fluorescence source and background is increased, and creating one or more composite images by overlaying the one or more false color fluorescence images over the one or more white light images.

The invention relates to a fluorescence imaging method and device (I) for surgical applications. Filtering means (10) are used that are configured to be able to generate, from the output signal, at least two images each corresponding to a different filtering operating mode over at least one wavelength range. The respective contribution to the intensity of the output signal obtained at a first wavelength and at a second wavelength, which are distinct from one another, is different with each of these two filtering operating modes. The filtering operating modes are chosen so as to highlight, in an image, the fluorescence emission of one substance relative to the fluorescence emission of another substance that might be present in a region of interest.