Method of Determining Surgical Margins Using Fluorescence Biopsy Specimen Imager

Abstract

Methods for determining surgical margins using an imaging device are described that use multiple cameras to image a biological sample on a turntable bathed in white light or fluorescing due to a systemically administered dye. Fluorescence farther away from an excitation light source can be compensated upon determining a 3-D position of portions of the sample. The turntable is turned and tilted in order to take enough images to prepare an animation of the sample. In a graphical user interface, the animation can be stopped, zoomed, and tilted per a user's gesture, touch, tablet-tilting, or other commands. The image manipulation can be with touch gestures entered using a sterilizable or disposable touch pen.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for assessing tumor margins, the method comprising:
 providing a resected tissue sample having a fluorescence dye conjugate as an imaging agent for tumor targeted imaging;   illuminating the tissue sample at an excitation frequency of the fluorescence dye conjugate;   capturing fluorescence images of the tissue sample using at least one camera;   generating a set of overlaid images or a 3-dimensional (3D) model from the captured fluorescence images;   visualizing a fluorescence signal from the overlaid images or the 3D model of the tissue sample, including signal contrast, based on intensity scalers from the set of overlaid images or the 3D model; and   determining tumor margins on the tissue sample from the fluorescence signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 resecting the tissue sample. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate includes antibodies selected from the group consisting of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate comprises indocyanine green (ICG). 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate comprises IRDye 800CW. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate emits in the near infrared around 700 nm to 800 nm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 applying a correction factor to improve a quantifiability of the fluorescence images. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fluorescence images are captured using a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 overlaying reflective light images and the fluorescence images. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining from the fluorescence images a three-dimensional position of a portion of the tissue sample; and 
 applying a correction to a pixel reading of one of the fluorescence images based on a three-dimensional position and a divergence of light during the illuminating. 
 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for assessing tumor margins during surgery comprising:
 a computer processor operatively connected with a machine-readable non-transitory medium embodying information indicative of instructions for causing the computer processor to perform operations comprising:
 taking reflected light images of a resected tissue sample using a first camera; 
 capturing fluorescence images of the tissue sample using a second camera, the tissue sample having a fluorescence dye conjugate as an imaging agent for tumor targeted imaging, the tissue sample being illuminated at an excitation frequency of the fluorescence dye conjugate; 
 generating a set of overlaid images or a 3-dimensional (3D) model from the captured fluorescence images; and 
 displaying a fluorescence signal from the overlaid images or the 3D model of the tissue sample, including signal contrast, based on intensity scalers from the set of overlaid images or the 3D model. 
   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising:
 a fluorescence excitation light source configured to illuminate the tissue sample. 
 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate includes antibodies selected from the group consisting of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate comprises indocyanine green (ICG). 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate comprises IRDye 800CW. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the fluorescence dye conjugate emits in the near infrared around 700 nm to 800 nm. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the operations further comprise:
 applying a correction factor to improve a quantifiability of the fluorescence images. 
 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the fluorescence images are captured using a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising instructions to the computer processor for:
 overlaying the reflective light images and the fluorescence images. 
 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising instructions to the computer processor for:
 determining from the fluorescence images a three-dimensional position of a portion of the tissue sample; and 
 applying a correction to a pixel reading of one of the fluorescence images based on a three-dimensional position and a divergence of light.