THERMOGRAPHY SYSTEMS FOR THE WALLS AND LUMEN OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL BLOOD VESSELS BY USE OF A SPECIAL CATHETER-DUCT FOR INFRA-RED RADIATION AND AN ELECTRONIC COMPUTER SYSTEM

摘要

This invention is a new method for in vivo thermography of the walls and lumen of human and animal blood vessels, with high precision, which provides much information that will open new avenues in the study of blood vessels and their diseases. It is based on modern technology of electronic computers and the basic principles of optical physical science. The infra-red intravascular radiation is carried by a special catheter-optical fibre to an infra-red camera and, through an analogue to digital converter, to a computer. There, thanks to a special program, the resultant picture is encoded with a temperature colour code. The pictures are projected onto the screen either in isolation or in the form of a three- dimensional thermographic representation of the vessel.