System and method for intraoperative fluorescence imaging in ambient light

1. A system for intraoperative fluorescence imaging, comprising:

a visible light illumination source;

a laser light source;

a visible light image detector;

a fluorescence image detector;

radio frequency (RF) circuitry coupled to the laser light source and the fluorescence image detector; the RF circuitry configured to:

modulate laser light generated by the laser light source; and

modulate an intensifier of the fluorescence image detector with as few as three phase delays relative to the modulation of the laser light source; and

an image processing system coupled to the visible light image detector and to the fluorescence image detector, the image processing system configured to:

merge a fluorescence image produced by the fluorescence image detector and a visible light image produced by the visible light image detector to generate an intraoperative image showing an outline of a region of interest identified in the fluorescence image overlaid on the visible light image; and

eliminate non-modulated, visible light from fluorescence images to produce a high contrast fluorescent image using the fluorescence images acquired with the as few as three phase delays.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phase delays comprise zero degrees, 90 degrees and 180 degrees.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the phase delays shifts phase of an RF signal that modulates the intensifier by 90 degrees.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing system is configured to merge the high contrast fluorescent image and the visible light image to generate the intraoperative image.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing system is configured to:

extract amplitude information from fluorescence images generated at each of the phase delays;

apply a threshold to the amplitude information; and

identify edges of a structure based on the amplitude information above the threshold.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the image processing system is configured to:

extract a region of interest corresponding to the identified structures from the visible light image; and

merge the edges of the structure with the region of interest extracted from the visible light image.

7. A method for intraoperative fluorescence imaging, comprising:

illuminating an object with visible light generated by a visible light source;

illuminating the object with laser light generated by a laser light source;

modulating the laser light at a radio frequency;

capturing, via a visible light image detector, an image of the object via detection of the visible light reflected by the object;

capturing, via a fluorescence image detector, a fluorescence image of the object via detection of fluorescence generated by the object responsive to the laser light;

modulating, at a radio frequency, an intensifier of the fluorescence image detector with as few as three phase delays relative to the modulation of the laser light source;

merging the fluorescence image and the visible light image to generate an intraoperative image showing an outline of a region of interest identified in the fluorescence image overlaid on the visible light image; and

eliminating non-modulated, visible light from fluorescence images to produce a high contrast fluorescent image using the fluorescence images acquired with the as few as three phase delays.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the phase delays comprise delays of zero degrees, 90 degrees and 180 degrees.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the phase delays shifts phase of a radio frequency signal that modulates the intensifier by 90 degrees.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising merging the high contrast fluorescent image and the visible light image to generate the intraoperative image.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

extracting amplitude information from fluorescence images generated at each of the phase delays;

applying a threshold to the amplitude information; and

identifying edges of a structure based on the amplitude information above the threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

extracting a region of interest corresponding to the identified structures from the visible light image; and

merging the edges of the structure with the region of interest extracted from the visible light image.

13. Apparatus for intraoperative fluorescence imaging, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) oscillator;

a phase shifter coupled to an output of the RF oscillator;

a white light source;

a visible light image detector;

a laser light source coupled to the RF oscillator, wherein RF signal generated by the RF oscillator modulates laser light generated by the laser light source;

a fluorescence image detector comprising an intensifier, wherein the intensifier is coupled to the phase shifter and phase shifted RF signal output by the phase shifter modulates the intensifier;

a control and image acquisition system coupled to the visible light image detector and to the fluorescence image detector, and configured to:

set the phase shifter to modulate the intensifier of the fluorescence image detector with as few as three phase delays relative to the modulation of the laser source per intraoperative image;

set each successive phase delay to advance phase of the RF signal that modulates the intensifier by 90 degrees;

eliminate non-modulated, visible light from fluorescence images to produce a high contrast fluorescent image using the fluorescence images acquired with the as few as three phase delays; and

merge the high contrast fluorescence image and a visible light image produced by the visible light image detector to generate an intraoperative image showing an outline of a region of interest identified in the fluorescence image overlaid on the visible light image.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the control and image acquisition system is configured to:

extract amplitude information from fluorescence images generated at each of the phase delays;

apply a threshold to the amplitude information; and

identify edges of a structure based on the amplitude information above the threshold;

extract a region of interest corresponding to the identified structures from the visible light image; and

merge the edges of the structure with the region of interest extracted from the visible light image.

15. A system for intraoperative fluorescence imaging, comprising:

a visible light illumination source;

a laser light source;

a visible light image detector;

a fluorescence image detector;

radio frequency (RF) circuitry coupled to the laser light source, the RF circuitry configured to modulate laser light generated by the laser light source with as few as two phase delays, wherein lasing current is below and above a lasing threshold of the laser light source; and

an image processing system coupled to the visible light image detector and to the fluorescence image detector, the image processing system configured to:

merge a fluorescence image produced by the fluorescence image detector and a visible light image produced by the visible light image detector to generate an intraoperative image showing an outline of a region of interest identified in the fluorescence image overlaid on the visible light image;

extract amplitude information from fluorescence images generated at each of the phase delays;

apply a threshold to the amplitude information; and

identify edges of a structure based on the amplitude information above the threshold.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the image processing system is configured to eliminate non-modulated, visible light from fluorescence images to produce a high contrast fluorescent image using the fluorescence images acquired with the as few as two phase delays.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the image processing system is configured to merge the high contrast fluorescent image and the visible light image to generate the intraoperative image.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the image processing system is configured to:

extract a region of interest corresponding to the identified structures from the visible light image; and

merge the edges of the structure with the region of interest extracted from the visible light image.

19. A method for intraoperative fluorescence imaging, comprising:

illuminating an object with visible light generated by a visible light source;

illuminating the object with laser light generated by a laser light source;

modulating the laser light at a radio frequency with as few as two phase delays, wherein lasing current is below and above a lasing threshold of a laser light source generating the laser light;

capturing, via a visible light image detector, an image of the object via detection of the visible light reflected by the object;

capturing, via a fluorescence image detector, a fluorescence image of the object via detection of fluorescence generated by the object responsive to the laser light;

merging the fluorescence image and the visible light image to generate an intraoperative image showing an outline of a region of interest identified in the fluorescence image overlaid on the visible light image;

extracting amplitude information from fluorescence images generated at each of the phase delays;

applying a threshold to the amplitude information; and

identifying edges of a structure based on the amplitude information above the threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising eliminating non-modulated, visible light from fluorescence images to produce a high contrast fluorescent image using the fluorescence images acquired with the as few as two phase delays.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising merging the high contrast fluorescent image and the visible light image to generate the intraoperative image.

22. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

extracting a region of interest corresponding to the identified structures from the visible light image; and

merging the edges of the structure with the region of interest extracted from the visible light image.