Fat Region Correction for Nerve Protection in Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current narrow-band light observation methods struggle to highlight nerves during surgeries due to their transparent nature, making it difficult for surgeons to avoid damaging surrounding nerves during procedures like rectum or prostate removals.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and living-body observation device that extracts and corrects fat-image regions in living-tissue images, using specific wavelength bands to differentiate fat from blood and nerves, allowing for better visualization and prevention of nerve damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If narrow-band light observation is used to highlight blood vessels, then blood vessels can be visualized, but nerves cannot be highlighted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging function into separate wavelength bands: one for visualizing blood vessels (using hemoglobin absorption characteristics) and another for visualizing fat tissue (using β-carotene absorption characteristics). This allows nerves to be visualized by observing the fat layer boundaries, while maintaining blood vessel visualization capability through the first wavelength band.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses fat tissue as an intermediary structure to indirectly visualize nerves. Since nerves are embedded within the fat layer and have different optical properties, by imaging the fat layer boundaries and characteristics at specific wavelength bands, the nerve structures can be inferred and visualized without direct illumination of the nerves themselves.
2Reliability
If fat color varies due to individual differences, then natural tissue appearance is maintained, but accurate fat differentiation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the imaging parameter by using specific wavelength bands (450-500nm and 500-600nm) where β-carotene has characteristic absorption. By measuring light absorption at these specific wavelengths rather than relying on overall color appearance, the system can accurately differentiate fat tissue regardless of individual variations in fat color caused by diet, age, or other factors.
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 solution enables stable and accurate differentiation of fat regions, reducing the risk of nerve damage during surgeries by correcting intensity based on detected fat-color-component amounts, regardless of individual variations in fat color, thereby improving surgical precision.
Implementation Method 1
capturing, within reflected light reflected at the living tissue onto which the illumination light has been radiated by the radiation unit, reflected light in a wavelength band in which absorption characteristics of β-carotene are higher than absorption characteristics of hemoglobin
Data Source
AI summary
For the purpose of allowing fat to be stably distinguished irrespective of individual differences, so as to prevent damage to nerves that surround a target organ, an image processing device includes: a fat-image-region extracting unit that extracts a fat-image region that indicates a region, in a living-tissue image, where fat exists; a fat-color-component detecting unit that detects a fat-color-component amount that determines the color of fat, from the fat-image region extracted by the fat-image-region extracting unit; and a correction unit that corrects the signal intensity of the fat-image region extracted by the fat-image-region extracting unit on the basis of the fat-color-component amount detected by the fat-color-component detecting unit.