Industrial Technology Research Institute

Technology Overview

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive interstitial pneumonia, and the lesions are only localized in the lungs. In the past, diagnosed patients had a poor prognosis, with a median survival of around one year. The current diagnosis method is based on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and lung tissue biopsy. The lesions were distributed in the subpleural and lower lobes with honeycomb-like fibrotic features. HRCT is usually difficult to distinguish honeycomb features, which are generally less than 3 mm, due to the limitation of image resolution; tissue biopsy is an invasive diagnostic method that also causes other side effects.

ITRI integrates optical communication technology and micro-optical components to develop a flexible endoscopic optical biopsy probe. The overall diameter is smaller than 1 mm, making it compatible with the bronchoscope system in the clinical scenario. It can perform large-scale 3D optical biopsy to assist pulmonologists in obtaining the characteristics of lesions in real-time.

• Features
  • Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
  • Flexible micro-optical probe
  • No electrical remote drive technology
• Specifications
  • Overall diameter <1 mm
  • Label-free imaging
  • Micron-scale image resolution

Applications & Benefits

• Pulmonary medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Cardiology

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