Augmented microscopy: real-time overlay of bright-field and near-infrared fluorescence images

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Intraoperative applications of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent contrast agents can be aided by instrumentation capable of merging the view of surgical field with that of NIR fluorescence. We demonstrate augmented microscopy, an intraoperative imaging technique in which bright-field (real) and electronically processed NIR fluorescence (synthetic) images are merged within the optical path of a stereomicroscope. Under luminance of 100,000 lx, representing typical illumination of the surgical field, the augmented microscope detects 189 nM concentration of indocyanine green and produces a composite of the real and synthetic images within the eyepiece of the microscope at 20 fps. Augmentation described here can be implemented as an add-on module to visualize NIR contrast agents, laser beams, or various types of electronic data within the surgical microscopes commonly used in neurosurgical, cerebrovascular, otolaryngological, and ophthalmic procedures.

Medical Subject Headings

Computer Systems; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Fluorescent Dyes; Image Enhancement (instrumentation); Infrared Rays; Microscopy, Fluorescence (instrumentation); Microsurgery (instrumentation); Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Subtraction Technique (instrumentation); Surgery, Computer-Assisted (instrumentation)

Publication Date

10-1-2015

Publication Title

Journal of biomedical optics

E-ISSN

1560-2281

Volume

20

Issue

10

First Page

106002

PubMed ID

26440760

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1117/1.JBO.20.10.106002

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