Multispectral 3D Tissue Imaging for Melanoma Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting melanoma are limited by surface visual analysis, leading to undetected early melanomas and misdiagnosis due to lack of imaging capabilities below the skin's surface, resulting in inefficient and inaccurate biopsy procedures.
Innovation Solution
Multispectral digitized images using 2 or more spectral bands are transformed to create 3D representations of tissue samples, enhancing morphological patterns and providing guidance for excision and sectioning through 3D voxel representations, allowing for more accurate sampling and visualization of lesion morphology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surface visual analysis is used to detect melanoma, then the examination process is simple and quick, but detection accuracy is low with 20-30% of early melanomas going undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D surface visual analysis to 3D subsurface imaging by capturing optical signals at multiple wavelengths that penetrate to different depths. This dimensional transformation enables visualization of tissue architecture below the skin surface, directly addressing the limitation of surface-only examination and improving melanoma detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system segments the tissue into multiple depth layers by utilizing different wavelengths of light, each penetrating to specific depths. This segmentation allows separate analysis of epidermal, dermal, and subcutaneous structures, enabling more precise detection of melanoma characteristics at different tissue levels.
2Measurement precision
If dermatoscope with lighted magnifier is used to see below the topmost layer, then deeper skin layers become visible, but image quality and quantification of morphological disorganization remain limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the optical parameters by using multiple wavelengths of light (e.g., 450nm, 530nm, 630nm, 780nm) to probe different tissue depths and optical properties. This parameter variation enables quantitative measurement of morphological disorganization by analyzing how light scattering and absorption change with depth and wavelength, providing objective diagnostic criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical dermatoscope magnification system with an optical field-based imaging approach using multiple wavelengths. This substitution enables non-contact, quantitative analysis of tissue microstructure through optical property measurements rather than relying on mechanical magnification and subjective visual assessment.
3Measurement precision
If punch biopsy technique is used for sampling, then the procedure is simple and quick, but diagnostic accuracy is reduced to 86.5% due to inability to obtain representative specimens
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system performs preliminary 3D visualization and analysis of the lesion before biopsy is performed. This preliminary action identifies the most suspicious areas with highest probability of containing diagnostic tissue, allowing targeted biopsy sampling that increases diagnostic accuracy while maintaining procedural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical imaging system serves as an intermediary between the clinician and the tissue sampling process. It provides intermediate information about subsurface tissue architecture and lesion heterogeneity, guiding the biopsy location selection to ensure representative sampling without complicating the actual biopsy procedure.
4Reliability
If only 2-5% of the total lesion is examined by the pathologist, then the examination process is efficient, but misdiagnosis risk increases due to sampling of non-representative areas
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system performs preliminary mapping of the lesion's 3D architecture and identifies regions with highest morphological disorganization before pathology review. This preliminary action guides the pathologist to focus examination on the most diagnostically relevant 2-5% of the lesion, ensuring that the small sampled area is representative of the entire lesion and reducing misdiagnosis risk.
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
This approach improves biopsy accuracy, reduces sampling errors, and enhances dermatopathology sectioning efficiency by providing a 3D view of lesions, aiding in precise excision and diagnosis.
Implementation Method 1
The penetration depth into an object for different bands is based on the fact that the longer the wavelength of light, the deeper the light penetrates tissue
Data Source
AI summary
Multispectral digitized images are provided by utilizing 2 or more spectral bands, providing images and information regarding a pigmented or other differentiated tissue sample at differing depths. The images are transformed to enhance morphological patterns characteristic of melanoma, such as the statistical properties of the pigment network, image texture or homogeneity, and the lesion reflectance, in order to provide information about lesion morphology at different depths. The images can also be processed and transformed to extract features such as blood volume saturation, oxygen saturation, or other characteristics that can be identified based on differential reflectance or absorption of light.