Fluorescence Image Processing for Insufficient Hemostasis Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing minimally invasive therapies, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), face challenges in accurately visualizing and addressing insufficient hemostasis areas due to the generation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) during thermal treatment, which are not effectively identified in real-time.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that utilize fluorescence imaging to extract and superimpose areas of insufficient hemostasis by identifying pixels with specific luminance thresholds, enabling real-time visualization of these areas on both fluorescence and white light images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thermal treatment is applied to cut living tissue during ESD, then hemostasis is achieved, but AGEs are generated that are difficult to visualize and identify insufficient hemostasis areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes fluorescence color changes to visualize insufficient hemostasis areas. By applying excitation light to the treated tissue, AGEs emit fluorescence that can be captured and processed to identify areas where hemostasis is insufficient, transforming the invisible thermal effects into visible fluorescent signals for detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary imaging system that captures fluorescence images as an intermediate representation of the tissue state. This intermediary fluorescence image serves as a bridge between the thermal treatment process and the practitioner's visual assessment, enabling indirect detection of insufficient hemostasis through fluorescent signal analysis
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If fluorescence imaging is used to visualize AGEs, then insufficient hemostasis areas can be identified, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the imaging device universal by enabling it to perform multiple functions: capturing conventional white light images, capturing fluorescence images, and processing both image types. This multi-functionality allows the same hardware system to address both standard visualization needs and the specialized task of detecting insufficient hemostasis through fluorescence
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a fluorescence image copy of the tissue state as an additional information layer. This fluorescence copy contains information about AGE distribution and hemostasis status that complements the conventional white light image, providing practitioners with an alternative visual representation that highlights problematic areas without requiring complete system redesign
3Measurement precision
If image processing algorithms are applied to extract insufficient hemostasis areas, then visualization accuracy improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing task into distinct functional steps: extracting high-luminance pixels to identify potential insufficient hemostasis areas, extracting low-luminance pixels to identify sufficient hemostasis areas, and then processing only the relevant segments. This segmentation allows the system to focus computational resources on the most critical regions rather than processing the entire image uniformly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing thresholds and methods to different regions of the image based on their luminance characteristics. By analyzing local luminance properties and applying appropriate extraction criteria to each region, the system achieves high measurement precision while minimizing unnecessary processing time in uniform or clearly characterized areas
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
Enhances the ability to recognize and address insufficient hemostasis areas during procedures like ESD, improving treatment efficacy by providing clear visual cues for practitioners.
Implementation Method 1
AGEs generate fluorescence when excitation light is applied thereto, which makes it possible to visualize the status of thermal treatment using a fluorescence image
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to acquire an imaging signal obtained by capturing an image of fluorescence, generate a fluorescence image based on the imaging signal, extract a first pixel a luminance value of which is at or above a first threshold in the fluorescence image, specify a first area based on positional information on the first pixel, extract a second pixel a luminance value of which is at or under a second threshold in the first area of the fluorescence image, specify a second area that is an insufficient hemostasis area based on positional information on the second pixel, and superimpose the insufficient hemostasis area onto an output image and output the output image with the insufficient hemostasis area being superimposed thereon.