PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic tumor discriminator, where an operator does not need to take his eyes away from the operative field of a patient operated in order to confirm the related pictures or numerical data during an operation to cut off a tumor and the discriminator can automatically detects or discriminates the normal region from tumor regions during an operation to remove, e.g., a tumor in the brain when the operator looks at the operative field.SOLUTION: This tumor discriminator automatically discriminates between normal and tumor regions by its spectral detection of fluorescence emitted when the protoporphyrin (PpIX) derived from 5-ALA administered to a subject is excited. The discriminator includes: an exciting process that radiates exciting light to excite PpIX accumulated in the tumor part a light reception process that receives fluorescent light emitted from the PpIX excited by the exciting light a spectral detection process that detects the relative strength of fluorescence at the wavelengths 636±2 nm and 626±2 nm obtained by separating the received fluorescence into components and a sound notifying process that outputs a detection notice sound if the difference of relative fluorescence strength between the wavelengths 636±2 nm and 626±2 nm exceed a prescribed value.COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT【課題】腫瘍摘出を行う術者が術部から目を離して画像や計算データを確認することを必ずしも必要とせず、肉眼で術部を見ながら、脳腫瘍等のがん患者の腫瘍除去操作において、正常部位と腫瘍部位を自動的に検出識別する。【解決手段】被検体に投与された5‐ALAから誘導されたプロトポルフィリン(PpIX)が励起された場合に発する蛍光を分光検出することにより正常部位と腫瘍部位とを自動的に識別する。腫瘍部に蓄積されたPpIXを励起させるために励起光を照射する励起工程と、前記励起光によって励起されたPpIXが発する蛍光を受光する受光工程と、受光した蛍光を分光することにより得られる波長636±2nmと波長626±2nmにおける相対蛍光強度を検出する分光検出工程と、波長636±2nmと波長626±2nmにおける相対蛍光強度の差が設定値以上である場合に、報知する検知音を出力する報音工程とを備える。【選択図】図2
