Minimally invasive inspection of technical and medical intracavities using a novel opto-digital scheme

• Main Author: Murukeshan Vadakke Matham.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Research Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/42201
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Current endoscopes, bronchoscopes, arthroscopes, etc., report reflected or fluoresced light, but without fully exploiting the potential of coherence. By fibre optics we can light and image the body using external lasers and electronics, reducing bulk at the tip of a flexible device. Incorporating fiber optics illumination and viewing, laser speckle interferometry allows us to determine microscopic features of shape, deformation, roughness and elasticity in real time. Adjusting only the external equipment between changes of imaging mode will give cross-registered data of each type analysed, increasing the diagnostic value of each. Cancer growths found in body cavities, such as colon, are a leading cause of death all over world. Medical intra cavity inspection techniques facilitate the diagnosis of cancers and other diseases, found in the different body cavities, such as nasal cavity, esophagus, colon, bladder, rectum etc. The cancer in the colorectal region of the body, which represents the most common malignant tumor, has become the second leading cause of death around the world, requiring urgent attention for its diagnosis and follow-up treatment. Also, to optimize patient management, precise detection or exclusion of metastases as well as assessment of their number and extent is indispensable. As colon cancer is highly curable if detected at a very early stage, diagnostic procedures based on early detection of the same is having important relevance. This early stage of cancer development is indicated by the presence of polyps of very small size (≈mm) originating from the inner mucosal layer of the colon wall. The diagnostic techniques, which can identify small abnormalities such as polyp growth present at either the surface or subsurface of the mucosal layer, will be of much help in the early detection of cancer. The currently available methods for colon cancer diagnosis are still at the research and development stages within the context of early detection capability. The relevance and potential of the proposed research comes in this context.