IMAGING SPECTROPHOTOMETRY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS, IN PHASE I AND PHASE II, TO DEVELOP AND CLINICALLY EVALUATE AN IMAGING SPECTROPHOTOMETERSYSTEM FOR USE IN GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY. THE PROPOSED INSTRUMENT IS TO ATTACH TO AN ENDOSCOPE THROUGH A (BEAMSPLITTING) AUXILIARY PORT, AND WOULD PRESENT A CRT DISPLAY OF AN IMAGE SHOWING, THROUGH COLORS OR INTENSITIES, THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF CLINICALLY USEFUL PARAMETERS DERIVED FROM SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF THE ENDOSCOPIC IMAGE.THE DEVICE WOULD THUS ENHANCE THE VISIBILITY OF CERTAIN SPECTRAL FEATURES SELECTED FOR THEIR CLINICAL IMPORTANCE. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE IMAGING TECHNIQUE MAY FIND USE IN RESEARCH AND IN SCREENING FOR SMALL CANCERS AND PRECANCEROUSSTATES. PHASE I GOALS ARE TO CONSTRUCT A ONE-DIMENSIONAL DETECTION SYSTEM, COLLECT DATA DURING SEVERAL PATIENT EXAMINATIONS, ANALYZE THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL SPATIAL PROFILES IN REFERENCE TO CLINICAL DATA, AND TO FORMULATE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGIES FOR USE IN PHASE II.