DIGITAL IMAGING COLPOSCOPY

THIS PROJECT WILL LEAD TH THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATE-OF-THE- ART CHARGE COUPLED DEVICES (CCD), TWO DIMENSIONAL IMAGE DETECTOR SYSTEMS SUITABLE FOR DIRECT RETROFIT TO EXISTING COLPOSCOPES OF FOR INTEGRATION INTO THE DESIGN OF NEW COLPOSCOPES. SUCCESS WITH THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE POSSIBLE THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF A LOW COST DIGITAL IMAGING COLPOSCOPE. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT SUCH A DEVICE WOULD BE OF CONSIDERABLE VALUE IN (1) AIDING CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OFCOLPOSCOPY, (2) PROVIDING A USEFUL TEACHING TOOL FOR MEDICALSTUDENTS, AND (3) MAKING POSSIBLE THE INCLUSION OF COLPOSCOPIC IMAGES IN PROPOSED MEDICAL PICTURE ARCHIVING ANDCOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS (PACS). ACHIEVEMENT OF THESE GOALS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF EARLY DETECTION AND SUBSEQUENT PREVENTION OF CERTAIN CANCERS IN FEMALES. PHASE I OF THE PROJECT WILL RESULT IN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF A COMPLETE DIGITAL IMAGING SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR RETROFIT TO A VARIETY OF EXISTING COLPOSCOPES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE THE FOUNDATION FOR CLINICAL EVALUATION OF DIGITAL IMAGINGCOLPOSCOPES IN PHASE II OF THIS PROJECT.