DEVELOPMENT OF A FLEXIBLE INFRARED IMAGING ENDOSCOPE

Advanced Medical Electronics Corporation, Maple Grove MN

Investigators

Abstract

Advanced Medical Electronics (AME) proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of using infrared (IR) microbolometer imaging technology on the distal tip of a flexible endoscope to accurately measure internal temperatures during surgical heat treatments. The phase II goal is to provide real-time spatially accurate two-dimensional surface temperature measurements through a flexible endoscope. The proposed endoscope is needed both for measuring temperature in the abdomen during percutaneous thermal treatment of tumors and for endoscopic thermal treatment of surface tissue diseases (i.e. esophageal varices). The proposed device is needed to support new technologies that can effectively treat tumors and surface tissue diseases quickly and effectively. These techniques require accurate real-time measurements of adjacent surface tissue temperatures. Recent microbolometer packaging advances at Honeywell (a partner on the proposed project) that will allow a 2.5 x 2.5 mm IR imaging camera to be created and make this proposed project possible. An available microbolometer based IR camera will be optically and electrically modified to emulate the calculated performance of the proposed endoscope scale camera. The University of Minnesota will conduct animal tests to demonstrate the feasibility of using the proposed system in surgical procedures. In phase II, microbolometer arrays will be fabricated into endoscope camera assemblies. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The commercial application of the flexible IR endoscope is tied with the growing marketplace of heat treatment technology. It is believed that the flexible IR endoscope would become an essential part of the equipment needed to perform these procedures.