Endoscope Oxygen Saturation Measurement with Tissue Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope systems for measuring oxygen saturation levels in blood vessels face reliability issues due to variations in tissue characteristics, leading to inaccurate calculations when using standard reference data for atypical tissues.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope system that includes a control section for preliminary imaging to adjust standard reference data based on the pre-oxygen saturation level of a normal tissue area, using corrected reference data for main imaging to improve the accuracy of oxygen saturation level measurement, and incorporates a blood volume calculation section to enhance reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard reference data is used for oxygen saturation level calculation, then the calculation process is simple and fast, but the reliability decreases when tissue characteristics vary from typical patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary imaging to capture images of normal internal body parts before measuring oxygen saturation levels in target areas. This preliminary data collection allows the system to establish baseline tissue characteristics specific to each patient, which are then used to correct reference data for more accurate measurements. The preliminary action resolves the contradiction by preparing customized reference data in advance, ensuring reliability without compromising measurement speed during actual diagnostics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of reference data by adjusting them according to individually measured tissue characteristics such as thickness, vascular density, and structure. Instead of using fixed standard reference data, the system dynamically modifies reference data parameters to match the specific patient's tissue properties, thereby maintaining high reliability while managing complexity through automated parameter adjustment algorithms.
2Measurement precision
If preliminary imaging is performed to correct reference data, then measurement accuracy improves, but examination time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary imaging and tissue characteristic measurement at the beginning of the examination, before the actual oxygen saturation measurement. This timing strategy allows the correction data to be prepared in advance, so that during the main measurement phase, the system only needs to apply the pre-computed corrections rather than performing complex calculations in real-time, thus minimizing time loss while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary imaging on normal internal body parts rather than the entire examination area. By focusing preliminary measurements on representative normal tissues, the system obtains sufficient correction data without unnecessarily extending the examination time. This partial action approach provides the necessary precision improvement while controlling the time investment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standard reference data is used, then the system is easy to operate, but it cannot adapt to individual tissue characteristic variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by automatically measuring the patient's own tissue characteristics during preliminary imaging and using these measurements to correct the reference data. This self-service approach eliminates the need for operators to manually adjust settings or select from multiple reference data sets, maintaining ease of operation while achieving high adaptability to individual tissue variations. The system adapts itself to each patient without requiring complex user intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves high reliability in measuring oxygen saturation levels by adapting reference data to specific tissue characteristics, reducing individual variability and improving diagnostic accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
An image sensor disposed in the distal portion captures an image of the internal body part
Implementation Method 2
a wavelength at which absorbance varies with the oxygen saturation level of hemoglobin
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
In a blood information acquisition mode for obtaining an oxygen saturation level of hemoglobin in a blood vessel, preliminary imaging and main imaging are performed. In the preliminary imaging, a normal internal body part is imaged. A blood information calculation section (70) calculates an oxygen saturation level of each pixel. A changing section (74) corrects standard reference data in accordance with a difference between an average of the oxygen saturation levels obtained in the preliminary imaging and a predetermined standard value of the oxygen saturation level. In the subsequent main imaging, corrected reference data is used to calculate an oxygen saturation level of each pixel corresponding to an internal body part being observed.