Claims
- 1. A method of generating an image of the human or non-human animal body by light imaging, characterised in that a physiologically tolerable particulate contrast agent is administered to said body and an image of at least part of said body is generated.
- 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is a spatial image.
- 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is a temporal image.
- 4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said image is generated from light transmitting through at least part of said body.
- 5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said image is generated from light reflected from at least part of said body.
- 6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said image is generated from fluorescence emitted by said agent.
- 7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said image is generated from phosphoresence emitted by said agent.
- 8. A method as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein said image is of vasculature in said body.
- 9. A method as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein said image is of a phagocytic organ in said body.
- 10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein light is emitted and detected endoscopically.
- 11. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein said body is irradiated with monochromatic light.
- 12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particle size of said particulate agent is from λ/4Π to λ/Π, where λ is the wavelength of said monochromatic light.
- 13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said particle size is about λ/2Π.
- 14. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 and 8 to 13 wherein said particulate agent is not photo-labelled.
- 15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said agent comprises gas-microbubbles.
- 16. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said agent comprises solid or liquid particles.
- 17. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said agent comprises liposomes.
- 18. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said particulate agent comprises a photolabel having a molar absorptivity of at least 105 cm−1M−1 and an absorption maximum in the range 300 to 1300 nm.
- 19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said particulate agent comprises liposomes.
- 20. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said particulate agent comprises solid or liquid particles.
- 21. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said particulate agent comprises solid particles coated with a said photolabel.
- 22. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said particulate agent comprises micelles.
- 23. Use of a physiologically tolerable particulate material for the manufacture of a particulate contrast agent containing contrast medium for use in in vivo diagnostic light imaging.
- 24. Use as claimed in claim 23 for manufacture of a contrast medium for use in an imaging procedure comprising a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22.
- 25. A dignostic imaging composition comprising a physiologically tolerable particulate agent comprising solid particles coated with a photolabel having a molar absorptivity of at least 105 cm−1 M−1 and an absorption maximum in the range 300 to 1300 nm.
- 26. Use of an agent as defined in any of claims 1 to 22 in in vivo spectroscopy for diagnosis of diseased states.
- 27. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated by a light imaging technique selected from confocal scanning laser microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and laser doppler and laser speckle techniques.
- 28. A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein said body is illuminated with light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm and said image is generated using detected scattered light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm.
- 29. A method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the particles of said particulate agent have a mean particle size in the range 600 to 1300 nm.
- 30. A method as claimed in claim 29 wherein the coefficient of variation of the particle size of said particles is less than 10%.
- 31. A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein said image is an image of a part of said body no more than 1 mm below an exposed or endoscopically accessed surface thereof.
- 32. A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein said image is an image of part of the skin.
- 33. A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein said image is an image of a part of said body no more than 1 mm below a surgically exposed surface.
- 34. A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein said particles are selected from polymer particles, dyestuff particles, and iodinated organic compound particles.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9502065.7 |
Feb 1995 |
GB |
|
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/875,645 filed Jul. 31, 1997 as the US designation of International patent application no. PCT/GB96/00222 filed Feb. 2, 1996.
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09732917 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10286988 |
Nov 2002 |
US |
Parent |
08984771 |
Dec 1997 |
US |
Child |
09732917 |
Dec 2000 |
US |