JP7439256B2 - Blood imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to an intra-blood imaging device.

For diagnosing blood vessels, a method is used to directly observe blood vessel walls and diseased areas (stenoses, occlusions, abnormal blood vessels, etc.) in blood vessels using an ultra-thin angioscope that can be inserted into blood vessels. An angioscope consists of a long exterior part that is inserted into a blood vessel, a light emitting part that is placed on the distal end of the exterior part and emits light into the blood vessel, and a light emitting part that is placed on the distal end of the exterior part. , and an imaging unit that receives reflected light from within the blood vessel and converts it into an electrical signal. Here, since the inside of the blood vessel is filled with red blood, the blood vessel wall cannot be optically observed in that state. Therefore, by performing flushing, in which a transparent liquid such as a low-molecular-weight dextran solution is sprayed forward from the tip of the angioscope, the blood in front of the angioscope is temporarily replaced with a transparent liquid, making it transparent. A method of obtaining a wide field of view is used (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-136529

As described above, when observing a blood vessel wall using a conventional angioscope, it is necessary to always perform flushing by spraying a transparent liquid. For this reason, there are problems in that it is difficult to continuously observe the blood vessel wall, and there are restrictions such as the inability to change the direction of the angioscope during flushing. This problem is not limited to angioscopes for observing blood vessel walls, but can also be said to be common to intravascular imaging devices used to image the state inside blood vessels.

This specification discloses a technique that can solve the above-mentioned problems. This technique can be realized, for example, as the following form.

(1) The intra-blood imaging device disclosed in this specification includes an elongated exterior part inserted into a blood vessel, and is disposed on the distal end side of the exterior part, and emits light toward the inside of the blood vessel. a light emitting section; an imaging section disposed on the tip side of the exterior section and converting the received light into an electrical signal; and an imaging section disposed on the emission side of the light emitting section to polarize the light emitted from the light emitting section in a specific direction. a second polarizing section that is disposed on the light receiving side of the imaging section and causes the imaging section to receive only light of a polarized component in the specific direction among the light reflected from within the blood vessel; Equipped with.

Through extensive research, the inventor has determined that the reason why it is not possible to image the inside of a blood vessel filled with blood is not only due to the red color of blood, but also because of the particles contained in blood (e.g. red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, etc.). ) has been newly discovered to have an effect on light scattering. When imaging a blood vessel wall, part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit into the blood vessel (into blood) is reflected by the blood vessel wall, and the other part of the light hits particles contained in the blood and is scattered. As a result, not only the reflected light from the blood vessel wall but also the scattered light from the particles is received by the imaging section, so that an image corresponding to the blood vessel wall is not formed at the imaging section. On the other hand, in this intra-blood imaging device, the light emitted from the light-emitting part toward the inside of the blood vessel (into the blood) is converted into light with a polarized component in one direction by the first polarizing part, and is converted into light with a polarized component in one direction. It is emitted to In addition, by the second polarizing section, out of the reflected light from inside the blood vessel, only light having a polarized component in one direction is received by the imaging section. Therefore, it is possible to image an object (for example, a blood vessel wall or a lesion) that has specularly reflected light with a polarized component in one direction. That is, according to the blood imaging device, it is possible to image the state inside a blood vessel without performing flushing, while suppressing a decrease in imaging accuracy caused by scattering of light by particles in the blood.

(2) In the blood imaging device, the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section may be configured as an integrated polarizing plate that allows only light of a polarized component in the specific direction to pass through. According to this blood imaging device, compared to a configuration in which the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section are separate bodies, the problem is caused by the positional deviation between the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section. Deterioration in imaging accuracy can be suppressed.

(3) In the above blood imaging device, the emission side of the light emitting section may be in contact with the first polarizing section. According to the present blood imaging device, compared to a configuration in which the light emitting unit and the first polarizing unit are separated, for example, light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the first polarizing unit enters the imaging unit. It is possible to suppress a decrease in the imaging accuracy of the intravascular state due to this.

(4) In the blood imaging device, the light receiving side of the imaging section may be in contact with the second polarizing section. According to the blood imaging device, compared to a configuration in which the imaging section and the second polarizing section are separated, the light emitted from the light emitting section and reflected by the first polarizing section is less likely to enter the imaging section. Deterioration in imaging accuracy due to reflected light from the first polarizing section can be suppressed.

(5) The intra-blood imaging device further includes a cylindrical shaft and a balloon whose distal end is joined to the shaft, and the exterior portion has a distal end position of the shaft within the shaft. The shaft may be configured to be movable between a tip position and a position on the rear end side of the shaft. According to this intra-blood imaging device, by arranging the exterior part (the light emitting part, the imaging part, the first polarizing part, and the second polarizing part) at the tip of the shaft, blood vessels located in front of the shaft can be It is possible to image the internal state.

(6) In the intra-blood imaging device, the shaft has a light-transmitting part that can transmit light, and the balloon covers the light-transmitting part of the shaft and also has a light-transmitting part that can transmit light. The exterior portion may be configured to be movable within the shaft between a position at the tip of the shaft and a position within the light transmitting portion of the shaft. According to this intra-blood imaging device, by arranging the exterior part within the light transmitting part of the shaft, it is possible to image the state inside the blood vessel located on the side of the shaft via the balloon.

The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various forms, for example, in the form of a blood imaging device, a blood imaging method for imaging the state inside a blood vessel, etc. . In the blood imaging method, for example, light with a polarized component in a specific direction is emitted into a blood vessel, and a polarizing section sends only the light with a polarized component in the specific direction out of the light reflected from inside the blood vessel to the imaging section. It is used to receive light.

A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the blood imaging device according to the first embodiment An explanatory diagram of the distal end surface of the blood imaging device shown in FIG. 1 Explanatory diagram of the action of the blood imaging device A perspective view of a balloon catheter in a second embodiment Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter shown in Figure 4 Cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter at position VI-VI in FIG. Cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter at position VII-VII in FIG. Cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter at position VIII-VIII in Figure 5

A. First embodiment:
A-1. Configuration of blood imaging device 1:
First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of the blood imaging device according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the blood imaging device according to the first embodiment, and a cross section parallel to the axial direction (longitudinal direction, Z-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the blood imaging device 1 (YZ axis in FIG. 1). plane) is shown. In FIG. 1, the configuration on the proximal end side of the blood imaging device 1 is omitted, and of the configuration on the distal end side, only a cross-sectional configuration of an exterior portion 2, which will be described later, is shown. The Z-axis negative direction side is the base end side (proximal side) operated by a technician such as a doctor, and the Z-axis positive direction side is the distal end side (distal side) to be inserted into the body. In FIG. 1, the intra-blood imaging device 1 is shown as being in a straight line parallel to the Z-axis direction as a whole, but the intra-blood imaging device 1 has flexibility to the extent that it can be curved. ing. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the distal end of the intra-blood imaging device 1, and shows the planar configuration of the intra-blood imaging device 1 viewed from the distal end side.

The blood imaging device 1 is a medical device inserted into a blood vessel in order to image and observe the state inside the blood vessel. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blood imaging device 1 includes a cylindrical exterior part 2, a light emitting part 3, an imaging part 4, a wiring 5 led out from the imaging part 4, and a polarizing plate 6. It is equipped with. Note that "inside a blood vessel" in this specification includes not only the inside of an actual blood vessel but also the inside of an artificially manufactured simulated blood vessel.

The exterior portion 2 has an elongated cylindrical shape and is made of, for example, a resin material. The light emitting section 3 includes, for example, an optical fiber disposed on the inner peripheral side of the distal end portion of the exterior section 2, and a light emitting element (such as an LED, not shown) disposed opposite to the base end surface of the optical fiber. The distal end surface of the optical fiber is directed toward the distal opening side of the exterior part 2. Note that by appropriately adjusting the wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 3 based on the size relationship with the particle diameter of particles contained in blood (red blood cells, etc., hereinafter referred to as "blood particles"), as will be described later, A part of the light emitted into the blood vessel is specularly reflected by the blood vessel wall, and another part of the light hits blood particles and becomes scattered. It is preferable that the wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitting section 3 is 600 nm or more.

The imaging unit 4 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the distal end portion of the exterior unit 2, and includes at least an imaging element (for example, a charge coupled device, CMOS) that converts received light into an electrical signal. The light-receiving surface of the imaging section 4 is directed toward the opening at the tip of the exterior section 2 . Examples of the imaging unit 4 include a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor. The imaging unit 4 may have a configuration without a lens, a configuration in which the lens is placed on the front of the camera, a configuration in which a pinhole is placed in the front of the camera instead of a lens, or a configuration in which the lens is integrated into the camera. It may be a configuration. The wiring 5 led out from the imaging section 4 is electrically connected to a device (not shown) that receives an electrical signal output from the imaging section 4 and generates a captured image.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the imaging unit 4 (imaging element) is disposed at the distal end of the blood imaging device 1 close to the polarizing plate 6, so that the amount of light from the polarizing plate 6 is reduced. The image sensor can receive light without much degradation. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when viewed in the axial direction (Z-axis direction) of the blood imaging device 1, the imaging section 4 is located approximately at the center of the internal space of the exterior section 2, and the plurality of light emitting sections 3 (main In the embodiment, the tips of three optical fibers are arranged on both sides of the imaging section 4, respectively. Therefore, a large amount of light is emitted from the light emitting section 3.

The polarizing plate 6 is a polarizing member that allows only light having a polarized component in a specific direction (a light component in which the electric and magnetic fields vibrate in one specific direction) to pass through. The polarizing plate 6 is arranged in front of the light emitting section 3 and the imaging section 4 in the axial direction (Z-axis direction) of the blood imaging device 1 . Specifically, the distal end of the imaging section 4 and the distal end of the polarizing plate 6 are both located within the outline of the polarizing plate 6 when viewed in the axial direction of the blood imaging device 1 . Further, the light-receiving surface of the imaging section 4 is in total contact with the back surface of the polarizing plate 6. Furthermore, when viewed in the axial direction of the blood imaging device 1, the area of the light receiving surface of the imaging section 4 is larger than the light emitting area of the light emitting section 3 (the total area of the end surface of the optical fiber), so the imaging section 4 receives a large amount of light. can receive light.

A-2. Effects of this embodiment:
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the blood imaging device 1. The arrangement relationship between the light emitting section 3, the imaging section 4, and the polarizing plate 6 shown in FIG. 3 is an optical arrangement relationship, and is different from an actual physical arrangement relationship. To image a blood vessel wall (not shown), first, the blood imaging device 1 is inserted into the blood vessel, and the light emitting section 3 emits the first emitted light L1. The first emitted light L1 is natural light (non-polarized light) and includes polarized light components in a plurality of directions. Of the first emitted light L1 irradiated from the light emitting unit 3 to the polarizing plate 6, only the first polarized light L2, which is light with a polarized component in the specific direction, passes through the polarizing plate 6 and is emitted into the blood vessel. On the other hand, light with polarized components in directions other than the specific direction is absorbed or reflected by the polarizing plate 6. Note that the polarized light component of the first emitted light L1 includes circularly polarized light, elliptically polarized light, etc. in addition to the linearly polarized light in the specific direction.

A part of the first polarized light L2 emitted into the blood vessel is specularly reflected by the blood vessel wall and is incident on the front surface of the polarizing plate 6 that maintains the polarization direction. Another part of the first polarized light L2 hits particles contained in blood (hereinafter referred to as "blood particles") and is scattered, and scattered light polarized in a direction different from the specific direction enters the front surface of the polarizing plate 6. I will do it. That is, mixed light L3, which is a mixture of reflected light from the blood vessel wall and scattered light from blood particles, enters the polarizing plate 6. The polarizing plate 6 removes the scattered light from blood particles from the mixed light L3 and allows only the reflected light L4 from the blood vessel wall to pass through. As a result, only the reflected light L4 from the blood vessel wall enters the imaging unit 4. Thereby, the blood vessel wall can be imaged without flushing.

As in this embodiment, the present invention preferably has a configuration in which one polarizing plate serves as both a light-emitting side polarizing section and a light-receiving side polarizing section (integrated polarizing plate). This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in imaging accuracy due to a positional shift between the polarizing parts, compared to a configuration in which the polarizing part on the light emitting side and the polarizing part on the light receiving side are separate bodies. Further, the number of parts of the blood imaging device 1 can be reduced.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light-receiving surface of the imaging section is entirely in contact with the back surface of the polarizing plate. A part of the first emitted light L1 from the light emitting unit 3 may be reflected on the back surface of the polarizing plate 6. For this reason, in the blood imaging device 1 of this embodiment, the light receiving surface of the imaging section 4 is entirely brought into contact with the back surface of the polarizing plate 6. This makes it more difficult for the light reflected on the back surface of the polarizing plate 6 to enter the light receiving surface of the imaging unit 4 than in a configuration in which the imaging unit 4 and the polarizing plate 6 are separated from each other. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in imaging accuracy.

B. Second embodiment:
B-1. Configuration of Blood Imaging Device (Balloon Catheter) The configuration of the blood imaging device in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. In the second embodiment, the blood imaging device also serves as a balloon catheter. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the balloon catheter, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. The Z-axis negative direction side in FIGS. 4 and 5 is the base end side (proximal side) of the balloon catheter 100 operated by a technician such as a doctor. In the drawings, the configuration on the proximal end side is omitted. The Z-axis positive direction side is the tip side (distal side) inserted into the body. Although FIGS. 4 and 5 show the balloon catheter 100 as a whole in a straight line parallel to the Z-axis direction, the balloon catheter 100 is flexible enough to be curved. Note that the longitudinal section of the balloon catheter 100 refers to a section (YZ section) parallel to the axial direction (longitudinal direction, Z-axis direction) of the balloon catheter 100, and the cross section of the balloon catheter 100 refers to a section perpendicular to the axial direction. (XY cross section). 4 and 5, a balloon 30, which will be described later, is shown in an expanded state.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter 100 at the VI-VI position in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter 100 at the VII-VII position in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the balloon catheter 100 at position VIII-VIII in FIG. 5. FIG.

The balloon catheter 100 is a medical device that is inserted into a blood vessel or the like in order to expand and expand a diseased part of the blood vessel, and also has the function of a blood vessel endoscope. The balloon catheter 100 includes an inner shaft 10, an outer shaft 20, a balloon 30, and an endoscope unit 40. Balloon catheter 100 is an example of an intra-blood imaging device in the claims.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner shaft 10 is a cylindrical (for example, cylindrical) member with open distal and proximal ends. In addition, in this specification, "cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape)" is not limited to a complete cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape), but also an approximately cylindrical shape as a whole (for example, a slightly conical shape, or a partially conical shape). (e.g., an uneven shape). A distal tip 12 is provided at the distal end of the inner shaft 10. The distal tip 12 is a cylindrical member with open front and rear ends. The distal tip 12 has a port 14 formed on its distal side, and has a tapered outer shape whose outer diameter gradually decreases toward the distal end. Note that the distal tip 12 is made of resin, for example. The inner shaft 10 corresponds to the shaft in the claims.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, inside the inner shaft 10, there is a first guide wire lumen WR1 through which the first guide wire GW1 is inserted, and a second guide wire lumen WR1 through which the second guide wire GW2 is inserted. A guide wire lumen WR2 and a unit lumen CR through which the endoscope unit 40 is inserted are formed.

The first guide wire lumen WR1 extends over the entire length of the inner shaft 10 along the axial direction of the inner shaft 10. The first guide wire GW1 inserted into the first guide wire lumen WR1 is led out from the distal opening of the first guide wire lumen WR1. The distal end side of the second guide wire lumen WR2 extends distally along the axial direction of the inner shaft 10, and the proximal end side of the second guide wire lumen WR2 extends laterally with respect to the axial direction. It's open. The second guide wire GW2 inserted through the second guide wire lumen WR2 is led out from the distal opening of the second guide wire lumen WR2. Thereby, the balloon catheter 100 in this embodiment can be used as a so-called rapid exchange catheter.

Unit lumen CR extends along the axial direction of balloon catheter 100 over the entire length of balloon catheter 100. The endoscope unit 40 inserted into the unit lumen CR is movable to the tip position of the port 14 of the distal tip 12 that communicates with the unit lumen CR.

The outer shaft 20 is a cylindrical (for example, cylindrical) member that is open at its distal end and proximal end. The inner diameter of the outer shaft 20 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner shaft 10. The outer shaft 20 accommodates a portion of the inner shaft 10 and is arranged coaxially with the inner shaft 10. The distal end of the inner shaft 10 projects further toward the distal end than the distal end of the outer shaft 20. An expansion lumen BR (see FIG. 8) is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the inner shaft 10 and the inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft 20, through which an expansion fluid for expanding the balloon 30 flows. Note that the expansion fluid is a liquid, typically a mixture of physiological saline and a contrast agent.

The inner shaft 10 and the outer shaft 20 are made of a material that can be heat-sealed and has a certain degree of flexibility. The material for forming the inner shaft 10 and the outer shaft 20 includes, for example, thermoplastic resin, more specifically, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ionomer, or Examples include polyolefins such as mixtures of two or more of these, polyvinyl chloride resins, polyamides, polyamide elastomers, polyesters, polyester elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, and the like. At least a portion of the inner shaft 10 covered by the balloon 30 is formed of a light-transmissible material. Examples of the light-transmissible material include polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, and the like.

The balloon 30 is an expansion member that can be expanded and contracted as an expansion fluid is supplied and discharged. The balloon 30 covers a distal end portion of the inner shaft 10 that protrudes from the distal end of the outer shaft 20. Further, the distal end portion 32 of the balloon 30 is joined to the outer circumferential surface of the inner shaft 10 by, for example, welding, and the proximal end portion 34 of the balloon 30 is joined to the outer circumferential surface of the outer shaft 20, for example, by welding. . Note that in the deflated state, the balloon 30 is folded so as to come into close contact with the outer circumferential surfaces of the inner shaft 10 and the outer shaft 20.

The balloon 30 is preferably made of a material that has some degree of flexibility, and more preferably is made of a material that is thinner and more flexible than the inner shaft 10 and the outer shaft 20. Examples of the material for forming the balloon 30 include polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ionomer, or a mixture of two or more of these, and soft polyvinyl chloride resin. , polyamide, polyamide elastomer, polyester, polyester elastomer, polyurethane, thermoplastic resin such as fluororesin, silicone rubber, latex rubber, and the like. In this embodiment, the balloon 30 is made of a material that can transmit light. Examples of the light-transmissible material include polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, and the like.

The endoscope unit 40 has an elongated shape as a whole, and has the same configuration as the blood imaging device 1 in the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the endoscope unit 40 includes a plurality of (in this embodiment, four imaging units) light emitting units 43 (optical fibers) and an imaging unit 44 in an elongated exterior part 42. and a polarizing plate 46 are arranged. The endoscope unit 40 is inserted into the unit lumen CR and is movable in the axial direction of the balloon catheter 100 within the unit lumen CR. Therefore, in the balloon catheter 100, the tip of the endoscope unit 40 (the light emitting surface of the light emitting section 43, the light receiving surface of the imaging section 44) is located at the tip of the balloon catheter 100 (distal tip 12) (the tip of the balloon 30). and a position within the balloon 30 (the light transmitting portion of the inner shaft 10).

B-2. Effects of this embodiment:
According to the balloon catheter 100 according to the present embodiment, by arranging the distal end of the endoscope unit 40 at the distal end position of the balloon catheter 100, forward observation to image the state inside the blood vessel located in front of the shaft is possible. It becomes possible. Furthermore, by placing the tip of the endoscope unit 40 within the balloon 30, it is possible to perform lateral observation through the balloon 30 to image the state inside the blood vessel located on the side of the balloon catheter 100. be. In this embodiment, since 1/2 or more of the balloon 30 and the inner shaft 10 in the circumferential direction of the balloon catheter 100 are formed of a material that can transmit light, blood vessels can be seen in a wide angle range (see range H in FIG. 5). It is possible to image the internal state. Note that the light-transmissible portion of the balloon catheter 100 of the balloon 30 and the inner shaft 10 is preferably 3/4 or more in the circumferential direction, and more preferably the entire circumference.

According to the present embodiment, the balloon catheter 100 has a configuration in which the balloon catheter has the function of a blood vessel endoscope. The balloon 30 can be expanded to perform treatment.

C. Variant:
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified into various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are also possible.

The configurations of the blood imaging device 1 and the blood imaging device (balloon catheter) 100 in each of the above embodiments are merely examples, and can be modified in various ways. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the light emitting unit is configured to irradiate light emitted from a light emitting element into a blood vessel via an optical fiber, but the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may also be adopted in which the light emitting element is placed on the side and the light from the light emitting element is directly emitted into the blood vessel. In each of the above embodiments, the imaging unit is not limited to a configuration in which the imaging device is provided at the distal end of the exterior portion, but may also be configured, for example, in which the imaging device receives reflected light from within a blood vessel via an optical fiber. good.

In the blood imaging device 100 according to the second embodiment, at least a portion of the balloon 30 and the inner shaft 10 that is covered by the balloon 30 is formed of a material that can transmit light. It does not have to be transparent. This is because if the endoscope unit 40 is moved near the distal end of the blood imaging device 100, it becomes possible to image the blood vessel wall.

In the first embodiment, one polarizing plate 6 is illustrated as the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section, but for example, the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section may be separate bodies. good. Furthermore, although the tip of the light emitting section 3 (optical fiber) and the back surface of the polarizing plate 6 were separated from each other (see FIG. 1), the tip of the light emitting section 3 and the back surface of the polarizing plate 6 were in contact with each other. It's okay. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the imaging accuracy of the intravascular state due to, for example, light emitted from the light emitting unit 3 and reflected by the polarizing plate 6 entering the imaging unit 4.

The materials of each member in the blood imaging apparatus 1, 100 in each of the above embodiments are merely examples, and can be modified in various ways.

1: Blood imaging device (first embodiment)
2: Exterior part (first embodiment)
3: Light emitting part (first embodiment)
4: Imaging unit (first embodiment)
5: Wiring 6: Polarizing plate (first embodiment)
10: Inner shaft 12: Distal tip 14: Port 20: Outer shaft 30: Balloon 32: Distal end 34: Base end 40: Endoscope unit 42: Exterior part (second embodiment)
43: Light emitting section (second embodiment)
44: Imaging unit (second embodiment)
46: Polarizing plate (second embodiment)
100: Blood imaging device (balloon catheter) (second embodiment)
BR: Expansion lumen CR: Unit lumen GW1: First guide wire GW2: Second guide wire H: Range L1: First emitted light L2: First polarized light L3: Mixed light L4: Reflected light WR1: First Guidewire lumen WR2: Second guidewire lumen

Claims (5)

An intra-blood imaging device,
a long exterior part inserted into the blood vessel;
a light emitting unit disposed on the distal end side of the exterior part and emitting light toward the inside of the blood vessel;
an imaging unit that is arranged on the tip side of the exterior part and converts the received light into an electrical signal;
a first polarizing section that is disposed on the emission side of the light emitting section and polarizes the light emitted from the light emitting section in a specific direction;
a second polarizing section that is disposed on the light receiving side of the imaging section and causes the imaging section to receive only light of a polarized component in the specific direction among the light reflected from within the blood vessel;
a cylindrical shaft,
a balloon whose distal end is joined to the shaft and expands in the radial direction of the shaft;
Equipped with
The blood imaging device is characterized in that the exterior portion is movable within the shaft between a distal end position of the shaft and a position closer to the rear end of the shaft than the distal end position . The blood imaging device according to claim 1,
The first polarizing section and the second polarizing section are integral polarizing plates that allow only light of a polarized component in the specific direction to pass through.
Blood imaging device. The blood imaging device according to claim 1 or 2,
The emission side of the light emitting section is in contact with the first polarizing section.
Blood imaging device. The blood imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The light receiving side of the imaging section is in contact with the second polarizing section.
Blood imaging device. The blood imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The shaft has a light transmitting part that can transmit light,
The balloon covers the light transmitting part of the shaft and has a light transmitting part that can transmit light,
In the blood imaging device, the exterior portion is movable within the shaft between a position at a distal end of the shaft and a position within the light transmitting portion of the shaft.

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