Generation of spatially-averaged excitation-emission map in heterogeneous tissue

Abstract

An instrument for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue includes means for exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths, means for collecting emission radiation from the two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of the portion, and means for forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of the excitation radiation and the simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging the excitation and emission radiation.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue comprising: 
 exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;    collecting emission radiation from said two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of said portion; and    forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of said excitation radiation and said simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging said excitation and emission radiation.    
     
     
         2 . An instrument for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue comprising: 
 means for exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;    means for collecting emission radiation from said two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of said portion; and    means for forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of said excitation radiation and said simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging said excitation and emission radiation.    
     
     
         3 . A method of rapidly gathering UV and visible fluorescence spectra in vivo spatially averaged over tissue, said method comprising the steps of: 
 illuminating strips of tissue with excitation radiation simultaneously at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;    collecting emission radiation simultaneously from said strips of tissue with the step of illuminating with said plurality of excitation wavelengths; and    disposing said emission radiation onto a two-dimensional array of detector elements, wherein said two-dimensional detector disposition is arranged by wavelength to form a two-dimensional excitation-emission map, in which all elements in said map are collected at once.    
     
     
         4 . An instrument for rapidly gathering UV and visible fluorescence spectra in vivo spatially averaged over tissue, comprising: 
 means for illuminating strips of tissue with excitation radiation simultaneously at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;    means for collecting collecting emission radiation simultaneously from said strips of tissue with the step of illuminating with said plurality of excitation wavelengths; and    means for disposing said emission radiation onto a two-dimensional array of detector elements, wherein said two-dimensional detector disposition is arranged by wavelength to form a two-dimensional excitation-emission map, in which all elements in said map are collected at once.