DLP® technology's pivotal role in O2view's versatile medical projection / illumination device

Information is presented as to the design of a versatile pattern light projection device that has been essential in the development of the Artemis Broad Spectrum Vision System for imaging of spatial tissue oxygen-saturation measurement as well as of near infrared fluorescent-labeled tumors to facilitate their surgical removal. The combined technology for molecular imaging (Artemis Camera) and image-guided projection of light (Artemis DMD-Projection System) is of significant benefit for various clinical applications. In case of tissue oxygen measurements, the application of illumination patterns of specific near-infrared light and concomitant read out of reflected light from non-illuminated areas theoretically will reveal information from deeper structures. As regards tumor surgery, photodynamic therapy for elimination of tumor tissue is the most exciting and even more demanding, in that the areas to be illuminated perfectly have to match the areas where cancerous tissue is detected. Several performance criteria had to be met for the projection system: mixing wavelengths from different light sources via a 3-channel prism; apochromatic from 430 to 1,000 nm; the projector's zoom-function to follow the Artemis camera zoom settings; the angle of projection to adapt to the full working distance range; and the integration of O 2 view´s custom camera controls with the DLP-chip.