Optoacoustic imaging system with fiber optic cable

Abstract

An optoacoustic imaging system comprising a light source, a handheld probe and a fiber optic cable is disclosed. The light source is capable of generating at least one pulse of light. The handheld probe comprising a transducer array capable of receiving an optoacoustic return signal. In an embodiment, the fibers being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the fibers at the input from affecting an adjacent group of the fibers at the output. In an embodiment, the output of the fiber optic cable being organized into multiple groups, and the fibers being intermingled between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the fibers at the input from disproportionately affecting one or more of the output groups.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An optoacoustic imaging system comprising:
 light source including a light source output, the light source capable of generating at least one pulse of light, the pulse of light having a predominant wavelength and being directed to a light source output;   handheld probe comprising a transducer array capable of receiving an optoacoustic return signal; and   fiber optic cable operatively connected to the light source output, the cable comprising:
 a plurality of fibers having a proximal end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the plurality of fibers being capable of acting as a fiber optic light path from the input to the output; 
 the proximal end of the plurality of fibers adapted to be operatively joined to the light source output; 
 the distal end of the plurality of fibers forming a light output from the cable; 
 the fibers being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the fibers at the input from affecting an adjacent group of the fibers at the output. 
   
     
     
         2 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal end of the plurality of fibers are fused. 
     
     
         3 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the plurality of fibers is gathered together into at least two groups to form a light outputs from the cable, and wherein a distal ends of each of the at least two groups are separately bound. 
     
     
         4 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the distal ends of each of the at least two groups are bound by fusing. 
     
     
         5 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the distal ends of each of the at least two groups are lapped and polished. 
     
     
         6 . An optoacoustic imaging system comprising:
 light source including a light source output, the light source capable of generating at least one pulse of light, the pulse of light having a predominant wavelength and being directed to a light source output;   handheld probe comprising a transducer array capable of receiving an optoacoustic return signal; and   fiber optic cable operatively connected to the light source output, the cable comprising:
 a plurality of fibers having a proximal end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the plurality of fibers being capable of acting as a fiber optic light path from the input to the output; 
 the proximal end of a first group of the plurality of fibers adapted to be operatively joined to the light source output; 
 first light output from the cable, the first light output comprising the distal end of at least a first portion of the first group of fibers; 
 the fibers associated with the first portion of the first group of fibers being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the first portion of the first group of fibers at the input from affecting an adjacent group of the first portion of the first group of fibers at the output. 
   
     
     
         7 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 6 , wherein the proximal end of the first group of the plurality of fibers are bound together by fusing. 
     
     
         8 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the first group of the plurality of fibers comprises substantially the entire plurality of the fibers. 
     
     
         9 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 second light output from the cable, the second light output comprising the distal end of at least a second portion of the first group of fibers;   the fibers associated with the second portion of the first group of fibers being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the second portion of the first group of fibers at the input from affecting an adjacent group of the second portion of the first group of fibers at the output.   
     
     
         10 . The optoacoustic imaging system of  claim 9 , wherein the distal end of the at least a first portion of the first group of the plurality of fibers are fused with one-another, and the at least a second portion of the first group of the plurality of fibers are fused with one-another, but the distal end of the at least a first portion and the at least a second portion are not fused with each other. 
     
     
         11 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 9 , further comprising:
 third and fourth light output from the cable, the third and fourth light output from the cable comprising the distal end of at least a third and fourth portion of the first group of fibers, respectively;   the fibers associated with the third and fourth portion of the first group of fibers being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the third or fourth portion of the first group of fibers at the input from affecting an adjacent group of the third or fourth portion of the first group of fibers at the output, respectively.   
     
     
         12 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 9 , further comprising:
 first plurality of subgroups of fibers formed from the distal end of the first portion of the first group of fibers,   second plurality of subgroups of fibers formed from the distal end of the second portion of the first group of fibers,   the first and second plurality of subgroups each gathered together and bound;   the fibers associated with first and second plurality of subgroups being randomized between the input and the output in a manner that prevents a local anomaly affecting numerous adjacent fibers at the input from affecting numerous adjacent fibers at the output.   
     
     
         13 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 the proximal end of a second group of the plurality of fibers adapted to be operatively joined to the light source output;   wherein the first light output from the cable additionally comprises the distal end of at least a first portion of the second group of fibers;   the fibers associated with the first portion of the second group of fibers being randomized between the input and the output.   
     
     
         14 . An optoacoustic imaging system comprising:
 light source including a light source output, the light source capable of generating at least one pulse of light, the pulse of light having a predominant wavelength;   handheld probe having a plurality of transducers, the transducers adapted to be acoustically coupled to a volume of tissue;   control and processing system capable of: pulsing the light source, receiving and processing optoacoustic data, and controlling the operation of the system;   fiber optic cable comprising a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers and cable having a light source end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the cable operatively connected to the light source output and being capable of acting as a light path from the light source to the distal end;   the plurality of fibers being randomized between the input and the output to prevent a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the input from affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the output.   
     
     
         15 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of fibers at the input of the fiber optic cable are fused. 
     
     
         16 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 14 , wherein
 the light source has a first light source output and a second light source output;   the at least one light pulse includes a pulse of light at a first predominant wavelength and a pulse of light at a second predominant wavelength,   the pulse of light at the first predominant wavelength is output from the first light source output and the pulse of light at the second predominant wavelength is output from the second light source output; and   the light source end (or input) of the fiber optic cable comprises a first and second group of the plurality of fibers, the first group of fibers capable of acting as a light path from the first light source output to their distal ends, and the second group of fibers capable of acting as a light path from the second light source output to their distal ends.   
     
     
         17 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first and second groups of fibers are separately fused. 
     
     
         18 . An optoacoustic imaging system comprising:
 light source including a light source output, the light source capable of generating at least one pulse of light, the pulse of light having a predominant wavelength;   handheld probe having a plurality of transducers, the transducers adapted to be acoustically coupled to a volume of tissue;   control and processing system capable of: pulsing the light source, receiving and processing optoacoustic data, and controlling the operation of the system;   fiber optic cable comprising a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers and cable having a light source end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the cable operatively connected to the light source output and being capable of acting as a light path from the light source to the distal end;   plurality of fibers at the light source end of the fiber optic cable being fused; and   the output of the fiber optic cable being organized into two separate light bar groups, each light bar group comprising approximately half of the plurality of fibers and being fused.   
     
     
         19 . The optoacoustic imaging system claimed in  claim 18 , further comprising:
 the plurality of fibers being intermingled between the input and the output to prevent a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the input from affecting one light bar in a manner disproportionate to the effect on the other light bar.   
     
     
         20 . An optoacoustic imaging system comprising:
 light source including a light source output, the light source capable of generating at least one pulse of light, the pulse of light having a predominant wavelength;   handheld probe having a plurality of transducers, the transducers adapted to be acoustically coupled to a volume of tissue;   control and processing system capable of: pulsing the light source, receiving and processing optoacoustic data, and controlling the operation of the system;   fiber optic cable comprising a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers and cable having a light source end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the cable operatively connected to the light source output and being capable of acting as a light path from the light source to the distal end;   plurality of fibers at the light source end of the fiber optic cable being fused;   the output of the fiber optic cable being organized into a plurality of separate light output groups, each light output group comprising approximately an even number of the plurality of fibers,   the plurality of fibers being intermingled between the input and the output to prevent a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the input from affecting one light output group in a manner disproportionate to the effect on the other light output groups.   
     
     
         21 . A fiber optic cable comprising:
 a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers and cable having a light source end (or input) and a distal end (or output), the cable being capable of acting as a light path from a light source to the distal end;   the light source end of the plurality of fibers being arranged in a plurality of input groupings, each input grouping comprising approximately the same number of fibers;   the distal end of the plurality of fibers being arranged in a plurality of output groupings, each output grouping comprising approximately the same number of fibers;   the fibers being randomized between the input and the output to prevent a local anomaly affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the input from affecting an adjacent group of the plurality of fibers on the output.