WO2016171084A1 - Tumor site diagnosing device and imaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a diagnosing device whereby a tumor site can be highly accurately identified, and an imaging method therefor. The tumor site diagnosing device, which irradiates porphyrins accumulated in a tumor site in the oral cavity with excitation light and detects luminescence generated by the porphyrins thus excited, comprises: a light irradiation section that irradiates the tumor site in the oral cavity with the excitation light; a light receiving section that receives the luminescence; and an image processing section that generates image data depending on the light intensity of the luminescence detected by the light receiving section.

Description

Diagnostic device for tumor site, imaging method

The present invention relates to a diagnostic apparatus and imaging method for a tumor site.

Conventionally, as diagnosis of a tumor site (particularly, cancer) in the oral cavity, histopathological diagnosis is mainly used, but a small lesion may be missed, and the diagnostic accuracy can not be said to be sufficient.

Recently, application of a photodynamic method using 5-aminolevulinic acid (hereinafter abbreviated as "5-ALA" as appropriate) is advanced as a new diagnostic method to replace histopathological diagnosis. 5-ALA is a kind of amino acid which is also present in vivo, and is water-soluble and can be orally and topically administered. When 5-ALA is administered from outside the body, normal cells are rapidly metabolized to heme in cancer cells, but in cancer cells, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), which is a metabolite, is selectively accumulated due to the difference in the activity of metabolic enzymes. Here, heme does not show fluorescence, while PpIX is a fluorescent substance, so by detecting this light, cancer can be diagnosed. This is the principle of the light dynamic method (see Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2013/002350

The above contents are still at the research stage of laboratory level at present, and it is expected that various problems will arise in practical application to human diagnosis.

An object of the present invention is to provide a diagnostic device capable of accurately identifying a tumor site and an imaging method therefor.

The present invention is a diagnostic device for a tumor site, which irradiates excitation light to porphyrins accumulated in a tumor site in the oral cavity and detects luminescence emitted from the porphyrins after excitation,
A light irradiation unit that irradiates the excitation light to a tumor site in the oral cavity;
A light receiving unit that receives the luminescence;
And an image processing unit configured to generate image information according to the light intensity of the luminescence detected by the light receiving unit.

The term "porphyrins" as used herein refers to those having a substituent attached to a porphine ring, and for example, PpIX and protoporphyrins such as photo-protoporphyrin (PPp) generated from PpIX are present. Moreover, in the present specification, “luminescence” is a concept including fluorescence and phosphorescence.

Although a tumor may occur anywhere in the human body, the diagnostic device of the present invention is particularly used for diagnosing a tumor site in the oral cavity. Unlike other organs such as the brain and the fire extinguisher system, the oral cavity exposes the irradiation target area simply by having the subject open the mouth, without performing so-called excision surgery such as craniotomy or laparotomy to irradiate light. be able to. Moreover, since the irradiation target area is specified in the oral cavity, the output of the excitation light to be irradiated can be reduced compared to other organs. For this reason, the light irradiation part for irradiating excitation light can be miniaturized.

As a result, as a diagnostic device for a tumor site in the oral cavity, a compact device in which a light irradiation unit, a light receiving unit, and an image processing unit are integrated can be realized.

The light irradiation unit can include a light source element that emits the excitation light having a peak wavelength of 400 nm or more and 410 nm or less.

FIG. 1A shows the absorption spectrum of PpIX, which is a type of porphyrin. Moreover, the spectrum of luminescence of PpIX is shown in FIG. 1B. PpIX exhibits high absorbance for excitation light of a predetermined wavelength. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1A, PpIX exhibits high absorbance to light with a wavelength of 370 nm or more and 450 nm or less, and in particular, extremely high absorbance with respect to light with a wavelength of 385 nm or more and 425 nm or less. Then, when light in the above wavelength range is irradiated to PpIX, as shown in FIG. 1B, luminescence having a peak in the vicinity of 635 nm and exhibiting high intensity in a wavelength range of 620 nm to 650 nm is emitted from PpIX.

By the way, when an excitation light is irradiated to the inside of an oral cavity, in addition to the said luminescence, a light-receiving part may also light-receive also about the one part excitation light reflected within the oral cavity. Luminescence is, by its nature, very low in power as compared to excitation light, and the wavelength band of luminescence of PpIX includes a region of relatively low visual sensitivity. For this reason, there was a case where it was difficult to distinguish whether it was a tumor site or not, because the reflected excitation light and luminescence were mixed.

Therefore, misdiagnosis due to the reflection of the excitation light being mixed without causing a decrease in luminescence output by setting the wavelength of the excitation light to a wavelength with extremely low visibility and high absorbance by the porphyrins Can be prevented.

On the other hand, since the inside of the oral cavity is also a part of the human body, it is preferable that the side effects due to the irradiation of the excitation light be as small as possible. Irradiation of light in the ultraviolet region to the human body may cause erythema and skin damage.

Therefore, as described above, by setting the peak wavelength of the excitation light to 400 nm or more and 410 nm or less, the diagnostic accuracy of the tumor site can be enhanced while minimizing the side effects on the human body.

The light receiving unit may include a filter that blocks light of at least a partial wavelength band of wavelengths of 500 nm or more and 600 nm or less.

It is common for teeth to be present in the oral cavity. These teeth contain enamel and dentin, and it is known that they emit luminescence when irradiated with excitation light. FIG. 2 shows a spectrum of luminescence that occurs when the teeth are irradiated with excitation light near a wavelength of 400 nm. According to this, a strong optical signal is recognized over the range of 440 nm to 600 nm.

Therefore, by providing a filter that blocks at least part of light in a wavelength band of 500 to 600 nm, which is particularly high in visibility, luminescence from teeth is suppressed from being received by the light receiving portion, and luminescence from porphyrins is suppressed. The accuracy of receiving the sense can be enhanced.

Note that as this filter, a long wavelength transmission filter (LWPF: Long Wavelength Pass Filter) may be used which transmits light at a longer wavelength than the threshold with a predetermined wavelength of 500 nm to 600 nm as a threshold. The light filter may transmit light other than a predetermined wavelength band in the range of 500 nm to 600 nm.

The light source element can be configured of an LED. This makes the diagnostic device more compact.

The diagnostic device may include a control unit that controls the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. At this time, after the control unit causes the light emitting unit to be irradiated with the excitation light for a predetermined time, the control unit repeatedly executes control to stop the irradiation of the excitation light, and for the light receiving unit, Control is performed to cause the image processing unit to output information according to the light intensity of the luminescence detected by the light receiving unit while the light emitting unit stops emitting the excitation light. I don't care.

Porphyrins emit fluorescence within a period of being irradiated with excitation light, but emit phosphorescence for a predetermined time after stopping irradiation of excitation light. According to the above configuration, the diagnosis based on the luminescence (that is, the above-described phosphorescence) received by the light receiving unit can be performed within the period when the irradiation of the excitation light is stopped, so that the excitation light reflected in the oral cavity is received. Misdiagnosis due to light reception by the unit is further prevented.

Under the above configuration, the light emitting unit includes a light source element that emits the excitation light,
The time from the end of the supply of energy to the light source element to the end of the emission of the excitation light is shorter than the time for which the luminescence lasts,
The light receiving unit may output information corresponding to the detected light intensity of the luminescence to the image processing unit.

The present invention is an imaging method using an imaging device including a light emitting unit for emitting excitation light and a light receiving unit for receiving light of a predetermined wavelength band,
A step (a) of controlling the light irradiation unit to irradiate the excitation light to a target area in the oral cavity to which a drug solution containing 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is applied;
Controlling the light receiving unit to detect light emitted from the target area (b);
And (c) generating image information according to the light intensity detected by the light receiving unit.

In the above method, a step (d) of impregnating the chemical solution into a predetermined water absorbing member;
And a step (e) of removing the water absorbing member after placing the water absorbing member on the target area for a predetermined time or more, and
The step (a) may be performed after the step (e).

According to this method, imaging of a tumor site in the oral cavity becomes possible by a very simple method. As the step (d), for example, a method may be employed in which cotton wool in which 5-ALA is dissolved in a solvent such as physiological saline is disposed in the oral cavity for a predetermined time.

Furthermore, according to this method, the subject does not need to inject or orally administer a drug solution containing 5-ALA, so that imaging of a tumor site can be performed without causing side effects such as hepatic dysfunction.

The step (c) can be a step of generating image information according to the light intensity of luminescence emitted from porphyrins present in the target area.

The peak wavelength of the excitation light can be 400 nm or more and 410 nm or less.

According to the present invention, diagnosis or imaging of a tumor site in the oral cavity can be performed with high accuracy.

It is a figure which shows the absorption spectrum of PpIX. It is a figure which shows the luminescence spectrum of PpIX. It is a figure which shows an example of the luminescence spectrum of a tooth. It is drawing which shows typically the structure of 1st embodiment of the diagnostic apparatus of a tumor site. It is a block diagram which shows typically the internal structure of the diagnostic apparatus of FIG. It is drawing which shows typically the structure of the optical unit with which the diagnostic apparatus of FIG. 3 is provided. It is a photograph which shows one method of applying the medical fluid containing 5-ALA to the object field in the mouth. It is an example of the timing chart which shows the control content in 2nd embodiment of the diagnostic apparatus of a tumor site.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of a diagnostic device for a tumor site will be described. FIG. 3 is a drawing schematically showing the configuration of the diagnostic device in the present embodiment, where (a) shows a front view, (b) shows a side view, and (c) shows a rear view.

The diagnostic device 1 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a base unit 2, an optical unit 3, a first operation unit 5, a second operation unit 7, and a display unit 9. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the diagnostic device 1 includes an image processing unit 11 and a control unit 13 inside the base unit 2 (see FIG. 4). The first operation unit 5 is a mechanism for operating the optical unit 3. For example, when the operator operates the first operation unit 5, the focus of the optical unit 3 can be adjusted. The second operation unit 7 is a mechanism for operating the display unit 9. For example, when the operator operates the second operation unit 7, the display position on the display unit 9 is changed, or the displayed image is displayed. It is possible to perform enlargement / reduction, and output instructions to a storage unit or an external device. The first operation unit 5 and the second operation unit 7 are not necessarily provided in the diagnostic device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the diagnostic device 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the optical unit 3 includes a light emitting unit 20 and a light receiving unit 30. In the present embodiment, the light irradiation unit 20 includes a light source unit 21 including a plurality of light source elements 23 and a first filter unit 22 that selects light in a predetermined wavelength band. In the present embodiment, the light receiving unit 30 includes a detection unit 31 configured by, for example, a CCD camera, and a second filter unit 32 that selects light in a predetermined wavelength band. When the light transmitted through the second filter unit 32 is received, the detection unit 31 outputs a signal corresponding to the light intensity to the image processing unit 11. The image processing unit 11 creates image information based on the signal and outputs the image information to the display unit 9. As a result, an image based on the signal received by the light receiving unit 30 (detection unit 31) is displayed on the display unit 9. The light emitting unit 20 and the light receiving unit 30 may be controlled by the control unit 13.

In FIG. 4, a region to be irradiated with light from the light irradiation unit 20 is indicated by reference numeral 40. Since the present apparatus 1 is assumed to be used for diagnosis of a tumor site in the oral cavity, this area 40 corresponds to the target area in the oral cavity.

FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically showing the configuration of the optical unit 3. In FIG. 5, (a) corresponds to the drawing viewed in the optical axis direction, and (b) corresponds to the drawing viewed in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis.

In the present embodiment, the light irradiation unit 20 formed in an annular shape is disposed so as to surround the light receiving unit 30. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the light irradiation unit 20 is configured such that a plurality of light source elements 23 are discretely arranged in a circular shape. In the following description, although the light source element 23 is described as being configured by an LED that emits light in a wavelength band including 405 nm, it may be configured by a laser diode, and emits light in other wavelength bands. It may be a configuration. In addition, the light source unit 21 may be provided with an optical system arranged corresponding to each light source element 23 together with the plurality of light source elements 23.

Moreover, although the case where the 1st filter part 22 is comprised by arrange | positioning several filters corresponding to each of several light source element 23 is illustrated in FIG. 5, for example, a single filter is comprised. It may be composed of The first filter portion 22 has a function of selectively transmitting light in the vicinity of 405 nm among the light emitted from the light source element 23. The vicinity of 405 nm may be in the range of 395 nm to 415 nm, in the range of 400 nm to 410 nm, or in the range of 404 nm to 406 nm. More specifically, it may have a function of selectively transmitting light in a wavelength band of high absorbance by porphyrins.

The light irradiation part 20 irradiates the excitation light of the wavelength of about 405 nm selected via the 1st filter part 22 with respect to the object area | region 40 in the intraoral area containing porphyrins (refer FIG. 4 collectively). In the target region 40, a tumor site where porphyrins are present emits luminescence by being excited by the irradiation of the excitation light. On the other hand, in the target region 40, non-tumor sites where porphyrins do not exist do not generate luminescence because they are not excited even when irradiated with excitation light. The luminescence emitted from the target area 40 and part of the excitation light reflected in the oral cavity are received by the light receiving unit 30.

In the present embodiment, the second filter unit 32 included in the light receiving unit 30 is configured to include a plurality of filters. That is, a filter 33 for cutting light of a wavelength of 490 nm or less, a filter 34 for selectively transmitting light of a wavelength of 560 nm to 650 nm, and a filter 35 for cutting light of a wavelength of 600 nm or less are provided.

Here, the filter 33 only needs to have a function to cut at least a wavelength band where the intensity of luminescence of porphyrins is extremely low, and the filter 34 has a wavelength at which the intensity of luminescence of porphyrins is relatively high. It suffices to have a function of selecting a band. In addition, the filter 35 may have a function of cutting a wavelength band in which the intensity of luminescence of teeth is high among the wavelength bands in which the intensity of luminescence of porphyrins is relatively high.

The filter 33 is provided for the purpose of blocking a part of excitation light and natural light reflected by the target area 40. The filter 34 is provided for the purpose of selecting a wavelength band in which the intensity of the luminescence is relatively high in order to selectively receive the luminescence of porphyrins. Therefore, it is also possible to make the filter 34 also have the function of the filter 33.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, it is known that when the teeth are irradiated with excitation light, they emit luminescence having an intensity in a predetermined wavelength band. For this reason, the filter 35 is provided for the purpose of blocking the luminescence of the teeth. However, by designing the filter 34 so as not to transmit the wavelength range cut by the filter 35, the filter 34 can also function as the filter 35.

That is, the second filter unit 32 may be provided with only the filter 34 for the purpose of space saving and low cost, and conversely, the second filter unit 32 is serially arranged as described above for the purpose of enhancing the wavelength selection accuracy. A plurality of filters (33, 34, 35) may be provided. In the latter case, for example, another filter such as a filter for cutting infrared light may be further provided.

Of the light emitted from the target area 40 in the oral cavity, only the light that has passed through the second filter section 32 is received by the detection section 31. Reflected light of excitation light, natural light, luminescence of teeth, etc. are cut off or significantly attenuated by the second filter unit 32. Therefore, in the detection unit 31, light with a wavelength of 600 nm or more and 650 nm or less, more specifically, around 635 nm Light is received. Thereby, the detection unit 31 can selectively receive luminescence of porphyrins.

The detection unit 31 outputs the intensity of the received light to the image processing unit 11 together with, for example, position information in the target area 40. The image processing unit 11 creates image information in which the information according to the light intensity is superimposed on the imaging information of the target area 40, for example, and outputs the image information to the display unit 9. Thereby, on the display unit 9, image information in which luminescence received on the image in the oral cavity is superimposed is displayed. The luminescence of porphyrins is light of wavelength 635 nm, which is red light. For this reason, a tumor site can be identified by confirming a bright red area from the image displayed on the display unit 9.

When imaging the inside of the oral cavity using the diagnostic device 1, first, prior to imaging, a chemical solution containing 5-ALA may be applied to the target region 40 in the oral cavity. In this case, more specifically, a solution in which 5-ALA is dissolved at a concentration of about 0.5% to 10% in a solvent such as physiological saline is impregnated into a water-absorbent member such as absorbent cotton or a sponge material. The water absorbing member is placed on the target area 40 in the oral cavity for a predetermined time (for example, about 20 minutes to 30 minutes). Then, after removing the water absorbing member, excitation light is emitted from the light irradiation unit 20 to the target region 40 by the diagnostic device 1, for example, with a radiation intensity of 50 mW / cm ² or more and 150 mW / cm ² or less for 0.5 seconds or more Irradiate for less than 5 seconds. As a result, porphyrins can be accumulated if there is a tumor site in the target area 40 at a stage before the irradiation of the excitation light, so that the display is performed on the display unit 9 as described above. By confirming the red light emission location on the image, the tumor site can be easily determined.

FIG. 6 is a photograph showing one method of applying a drug solution containing 5-ALA to the target area 40 in the oral cavity. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 41a denotes an upper front tooth, reference numeral 41b denotes a lower front tooth, reference numeral 42a denotes an upper jaw, and reference numeral 42b denotes a lower jaw. The subject is opened and the target area 40 is exposed. In order to maintain the open state, in the photograph of FIG. 6, after the mouthpiece 45 is inserted into the oral cavity with the surface of the target area 40 exposed, the mouthpiece 45 is sandwiched by both the upper jaw 42a and the lower jaw 42b. It is fixed so. In this state, cotton wool 44 impregnated with a solution containing 5-ALA is placed in a predetermined area including the target area 40. The absorbent cotton 44 is held in contact with the mouthpiece 45 as well as the inner cheeks and jaws in the oral cavity.

Even after the placement of the absorbent cotton 44 is completed, the mouthpiece 45 may be kept in the oral cavity for the predetermined time required for the 5-ALA to be absorbed in the target area 40. Thereby, before the 5-ALA penetrates into the target area 40, the cotton wool 44 can be prevented from moving in the oral cavity.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the diagnostic device 1 will be described. In the following, only portions different from the first embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 13 controls the light emitting unit 20 and the light receiving unit 30 based on a predetermined rule. Specifically, the control unit 13 causes the light irradiation unit 20 to irradiate the excitation light for a predetermined time, and then repeatedly executes control to stop the irradiation of the excitation light. In addition, the control unit 13 performs control to operate the light receiving unit 30 only in a time zone in which the excitation light is not irradiated from the light irradiation unit 20.

FIG. 7 is an example of a timing chart showing control contents performed by the control unit 13 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, (a) shows the intensity change of the excitation light emitted from the light source unit 21 provided in the light irradiation unit 20 under the configuration of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 (b) shows the intensity change of luminescence emitted from porphyrins. FIG. 7C shows the operating state of the detection unit 31 provided in the light receiving unit 30 under the configuration of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the detection unit 31 is configured to be able to detect light only during a time T2 when excitation light is not emitted from the light source unit 21 under the control of the control unit 13. It has become. Porphyrins emit fluorescence for a time T1 during which excitation light is being irradiated, but have the property of continuously emitting light (phosphorescence) even after the irradiation of excitation light is stopped. This phosphorescence decreases in intensity with time. This is shown in FIG. 7B that, at time T2, the intensity of luminescence decreases with the passage of time.

As a specific example of the control content of the control unit 13, after the current is supplied to the light source unit 21 for the time T1, the control of stopping the supply of the current to the light source unit 21 for the time T2 is repeated. Can. In addition, the control unit 13 supplies a current to the detection unit 31 for a time T2 in which the current is not supplied to the light source unit 21 to make it possible to detect a current. The supply can be turned off to make it undetectable.

According to the above configuration, the excitation light is not irradiated from the light irradiation unit 20 during a period in which the detection unit 31 can detect light. Therefore, the detection unit 31 does not detect part of the excitation light reflected by the target area 40 in the oral cavity. Therefore, luminescence from porphyrins (phosphorescence in this embodiment) can be detected with high accuracy.

Phosphorescence emitted from porphyrins is not instantaneously quenched but is emitted continuously for a certain period of time. The duration time of this phosphorescence is longer than the time until the light source unit 21 actually stops the emission of the excitation light after the control unit 13 controls the light source unit 21 to stop supplying the current. . Therefore, the light receiving unit 30 can receive the phosphorescence emitted from the porphyrins even after the irradiation of the excitation light is stopped. In the present embodiment, the control unit 13 performs control of causing the light emitting unit 20 to resume the emission of the excitation light after a lapse of time longer than the time necessary for the light receiving unit 30 to receive phosphorescence. It does not matter as what is done.

In particular, when the light source element 23 is formed of an LED, a time (startup time) from the start of supply of current to the start of emission of excitation light, and after the supply of current is stopped, The time (falling time) until the injection stops can be realized in a short time. For this reason, when the light receiving unit 30 receives a part of the excitation light by the control of the present embodiment, the effect of reducing the possibility of misdiagnosis of the tumor site is sufficiently exerted.

Note that FIG. 7 exemplifies a case in which the time T2 is set such that the intensity of phosphorescence emitted from the porphyrins exceeds the minimum intensity (detection limit threshold) Wth that can be detected by the detection unit 31. However, the control unit 13 may resume the control of irradiating the light irradiation unit 20 with the excitation light after the intensity of the phosphorescence decreases to less than Wth. Even in this case, the detection unit 31 can detect at least the intensity of phosphorescence at or above the detection limit threshold Wth. Therefore, diagnosis of the tumor site is performed based on the information of the light intensity received during this time It is possible.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 13 controls the light emitting unit 20 and the light receiving unit 30 so that the light receiving unit 30 does not receive part of the excitation light reflected by the target region 40 in the oral cavity. From this point of view, the control unit 13 does not cause the image processing unit 11 to output information on the light intensity received in the time zone in which the excitation light is emitted from the light irradiation unit 20 to the light reception unit 30. Control may be performed to cause the image processing unit 11 to output information related to the light intensity received in a time zone in which the excitation light is not irradiated from the light irradiation unit 20. That is, in this case, the light receiving unit 30 may be capable of receiving light even during a period in which the excitation light is emitted from the light emitting unit 20.

[Another embodiment]
Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described.

<1> In the above embodiment, the diagnostic device 1 includes the display unit 9. However, the display unit 9 may be configured to be provided outside the diagnostic device. In this case, the image information generated by the image processing unit 11 can be displayed on a monitor outside the diagnostic device 1.

<2> In the above embodiment, the light irradiation unit 20 includes the first filter unit 22. However, in the case where the excitation light emitted from the light source unit 21 is light having a narrow band spectrum, it is not always necessary to One filter unit 22 may not be provided.

In the above embodiment, the light receiving unit 30 includes the second filter unit 32 including the plurality of filters (33, 34, 35), but light in the vicinity of the peak wavelength of luminescence emitted from porphyrins is If the light is mainly received, the number of filters may be increased or decreased as appropriate, or the second filter unit 32 may not be provided.

<3> The configuration of the diagnostic device 1 described with reference to FIG. 3 and the configuration of the optical unit 3 described with reference to FIG. 5 are merely examples, and the diagnostic device 1 of the present invention is illustrated in these drawings. It is not limited to the above structure.

<4> In the second embodiment, the time T1 for irradiating the excitation light from the light irradiation unit 20 and the time T2 for stopping the irradiation of the excitation light do not have to be set to the same time each time. Moreover, these time (T1, T2) is suitably set within the range of the conditions which can achieve said objective.

Reference Signs List 1: diagnostic device 2: base unit 3: optical unit 5: first operation unit 7: second operation unit 9: display unit 11: image processing unit 13: control unit 20: light irradiation unit 21: light source unit 22: first Filter part 23: Light source element 30: Light receiving part 31: Detection part 32: Second filter part 33, 34, 35: Filter 40: Target area in the oral cavity 41a: Upper anterior teeth 41b: Lower anterior teeth 42a: Upper jaw 42b: Lower jaw 44: Cotton 45: Mouthpiece

Claims (10)

A diagnostic apparatus for a tumor site which irradiates excitation light to porphyrins accumulated in a tumor site in the oral cavity and detects luminescence emitted from the porphyrins after excitation,
A light irradiation unit that irradiates the excitation light to a tumor site in the oral cavity;
A light receiving unit that receives the luminescence;
And an image processing unit configured to generate image information according to the light intensity of the luminescence detected by the light receiving unit. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit includes a light source element that emits the excitation light having a peak wavelength of 400 nm or more and 410 nm or less. The diagnostic device for a tumor site according to claim 2, wherein the light receiving unit includes a filter that blocks light of at least a partial wavelength band of wavelengths of 500 nm to 600 nm. The said light source element is comprised by LED, The diagnostic apparatus of the tumor site of Claim 2 or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A control unit configured to control the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit;
The control unit
After irradiating the excitation light to the light irradiation unit for a predetermined time, control to stop the irradiation of the excitation light is repeatedly executed.
Information on the light intensity of the luminescence detected by the light receiving unit is output to the image processing unit while the light emitting unit stops emitting the excitation light to the light receiving unit. 5. The apparatus for diagnosing a tumor site according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that control is performed. The porphyrins are materials having a property of emitting the luminescence for a predetermined time after the irradiation of the excitation light is stopped when the excitation light is irradiated,
The light irradiator includes a light source element that emits the excitation light.
The time from the end of the supply of energy to the light source element to the end of the emission of the excitation light is shorter than the time for which the luminescence lasts,
The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light receiving unit causes the image processing unit to output information according to the detected light intensity of the luminescence. An imaging method using an imaging device including a light emitting unit for emitting excitation light and a light receiving unit for receiving light in a predetermined wavelength band,
A step (a) of controlling the light irradiation unit to irradiate the excitation light to a target region in the oral cavity to which a chemical solution containing 5-aminolevulinic acid is applied;
Controlling the light receiving unit to detect light emitted from the target area (b);
And (c) generating image information according to the light intensity detected by the light receiving unit. A step (d) of impregnating the chemical solution into a predetermined water absorbing member;
And a step (e) of removing the water absorbing member after placing the water absorbing member on the target area for a predetermined time or more, and
The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein the step (a) is performed after the step (e). 9. The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein the step (c) is a step of generating image information according to the light intensity of luminescence emitted from porphyrins present in the target region. . The imaging method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a peak wavelength of the excitation light is 400 nm or more and 410 nm or less.

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