Claims
- 1. A method of generating an image of the human or non-human animal body by in vivo diagnostic light imaging, characterized in that a physiologically tolerable particulate contrast agent comprising a compound of formulaI3Ph—L—C* wherein I3Ph is a triiodophenyl moiety, L is a linker and C* is a chromophore or fluorophore is administered into said body and an image of at least part of said body containing said contrast agent 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 claim 1 wherein said image is generated from light transmitting through at least part of said body.
- 5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated from light reflected from at least part of said body.
- 6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated from fluorescence emitted by said agent.
- 7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is of vasculature in said body.
- 8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is of a phagocytic organ in said body.
- 9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein light is emitted and detected endoscopically.
- 10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is irradiated with monochromatic light.
- 11. 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.
- 12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said particle size is about λ/2Π.
- 13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent further comprises gas-microbubbles.
- 14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent further comprises solid or liquid particles.
- 15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent further comprises liposomes.
- 16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said chromophore or fluorophore has a molar absorptivity of at least 105 cm−1M−1 and an absorption maximum in the range 300 to 1300 nm.
- 17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said particulate agent further comprises liposomes.
- 18. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said particulate agent further comprises solid or liquid particles.
- 19. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said particulate agent further comprises solid particles coated with said compound.
- 20. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said particulate agent further comprises micelles.
- 21. 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.
- 22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said body is illuminated with light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm and said image is generated using directed scattered light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm.
- 23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the particles of said particulate agent have a mean particle size in the range 600 to 1300 nm.
- 24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the coefficient of variation of the particle size of said particles is less than 10%.
- 25. A method as claimed in claim 21 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.
- 26. A method as claimed in claim 25 wherein said image is an image of part of the skin.
- 27. A method as claimed in claim 25 wherein said image is an image of a part of said body no more than 1 mm below a surgically exposed surface.
- 28. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said particles are selected from polymer particles, dyestuff particles, and iodinated organic compound particles.
- 29. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said compound is 3- (N-acetyl-N-ethylamino)-5-[(5-dimethylamino-1-naphthylsulfonyl)amino]-2,4,6-triiodobenzoic acid ethyl ester.
- 30. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said compound is 2- (3,5-bisacetylamino-2,4,6-triiodobenzoyloxy)ethyl N-fluoresceinylthiocarbamate.
- 31. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the contrast agent is present in a nanoparticle suspension.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/984,771, filed Dec. 4, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,445, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/875,645 filed Jul. 31, 1997, now abandoned, as the US designation of International patent application No. PCT/GB96/00222 filed Feb. 2, 1996.
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/984771 |
Dec 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/732917 |
|
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/875645 |
|
US |
Child |
08/984771 |
|
US |