Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Thrombus Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing vascular obstructions, such as thrombosis, are inadequate, especially when lesions are non-stenotic, making it difficult to locate thrombi using angiography, which can lead to missed identification of rupture sites causing heart attacks and strokes.
Innovation Solution
A method and device utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy to detect vascular obstructions by analyzing spatial fluctuations in spectral responses within a vessel wall, employing a tunable laser to irradiate and detect diffuse reflectance and absorption spectra, and identifying regions with significant spectral variations to locate thrombi through a catheter-based helical raster scan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If angiography is used to diagnose vascular obstructions, then the procedure is simple and widely available, but it cannot effectively detect non-stenotic lesions or locate thrombi
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual imaging system of angiography with a spectroscopic analysis system. Instead of using X-rays and visual imaging to detect vascular obstructions, the invention uses near-infrared spectroscopy to analyze the optical properties of blood and vessel walls, enabling detection of thrombi based on spectral characteristics rather than anatomical imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from anatomical structure (visualized in angiography) to optical spectral properties. By measuring absorption and reflectance spectra in the near-infrared region, the system detects thrombi through changes in blood oxygenation and tissue composition, which manifest as spectral variations rather than structural changes.
2Reliability
If spectroscopic analysis is performed through flowing blood, then thrombus detection is enabled, but the moving blood creates spectral variability that complicates analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by establishing a reference spectrum from a known normal vessel region before analyzing the target region. This reference spectrum serves as a baseline that accounts for the spectral characteristics of flowing blood and normal tissue, allowing subsequent comparison to identify deviations caused by thrombi.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by continuously comparing the measured spectrum against the reference spectrum and adjusting the analysis based on the differential signal. The spectral differences between normal and abnormal regions provide feedback that enables identification of thrombus locations despite the variability introduced by flowing blood.
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
Effectively locates vascular obstructions by highlighting regions with high spatial fluctuations in spectral responses, enabling accurate detection of thrombi, even in non-stenotic lesions, thereby aiding in diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment.
Implementation Method 1
detecting diffuse reflectance spectra within the different regions
Implementation Method 2
detecting absorption spectra within the different regions
Implementation Method 3
NIR can be generated by a tunable laser
Data Source
AI summary
A method for detecting a complete or partial obstruction in a vessel through an intervening fluid includes receiving spectroscopic responses at different locations of a vessel wall, e.g., a vein or artery, through an intervening fluid, preferably blood. Spectroscopic responses are generated by irradiating the vessel wall at different locations and detecting spectra at those locations. In preferred embodiments, the radiation used is in the near infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The thrombus is located by determining whether fluctuations, spatial and/or spectral, of the spectral responses are indicative of thrombus.