US 11,980,771 B2
Processing optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans
Jonathan Denis Holmes, Kent (GB)
Assigned to MICHELSON DIAGNOSTICS LTD, Kent (GB)
Appl. No. 16/484,712
Filed by MICHELSON DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED, Kent (GB)
PCT Filed Jan. 29, 2018, PCT No. PCT/GB2018/050243
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 8, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/146452, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 16, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1702098 (GB), filed on Feb. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0038678 A1, Feb. 6, 2020
Int. Cl. A61N 5/06 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/103 (2006.01); A61B 5/107 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 18/20 (2006.01); A61N 5/067 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 5/0616 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0066 (2013.01); A61B 5/1032 (2013.01); A61B 5/1075 (2013.01); A61B 5/1079 (2013.01); A61B 5/442 (2013.01); A61B 5/448 (2013.01); A61B 5/489 (2013.01); A61B 18/203 (2013.01); A61B 2018/0047 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00577 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00642 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00732 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0626 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0627 (2013.01); A61N 5/067 (2021.08)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans through a subject's skin, the method comprising, using a computing device:
receiving a plurality of OCT scans through the subject's skin, the OCT scans representing an OCT signal in slices through the subject's skin;
processing the OCT scans to determine a set of parameters, including determining a depth of the superficial plexus through the subject's skin as one of the parameters, wherein determining a depth of the superficial plexus comprises at least one:
a) performing a segmentation operation on blood vessel data at each depth and finding the depth at which there is more than a predetermined number of vessel segments with a length greater than a predetermined threshold;
b) determining a density of blood vessels at each depth and finding the depth at which the blood vessel density exceeds a predetermined threshold;
processing each parameter to determine a set of control settings for an energy-delivery device;
transmitting the control settings from the computing device to the energy-delivery device;
wherein the superficial plexus is found between 0.2 and 0.5 mm below a surface of the subject's skin.
 
19. Apparatus for processing optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans through a subject's skin, the apparatus comprising a computing device arranged to:
receive a plurality of OCT scans through the subject's skin, the OCT scans representing an OCT signal in slices through the subject's skin;
process the OCT scans to determine a set of parameters, including determining a depth of the superficial plexus through the subject's skin as one of the parameters, wherein determining a depth of the superficial plexus comprises at least one:
a) performing a segmentation operation on blood vessel data at each depth and finding the depth at which there is more than a predetermined number of vessel segments with a length greater than a predetermined threshold;
b) determining a density of blood vessels at each depth and finding the depth at which the blood vessel density exceeds a predetermined threshold;
process each parameter to determine a set of control settings for an energy-delivery device;
transmit the control settings to the energy-delivery device;
in which the set of parameters comprises a depth of the superficial plexus through the subject's skin, wherein the superficial plexus is found between 0.2 and 0.5 mm below a surface of the subject's skin.