Wide field fluorescence imaging in narrow passageways using scanning fiber endoscope technology

An ultrathin scanning fiber endoscope (SFE) has been developed for high resolution imaging of regions in the body that are commonly inaccessible. The SFE produces 500 line color images at 30 Hz frame rate while maintaining a 1.2-1.7 mm outer diameter. The distal tip of the SFE houses a 9 mm rigid scan engine attached to a highly flexible tether (minimum bend radius mm ) comprised of optical fibers and electrical wires within a protective sheath. Unlike other ultrathin technologies, the unique characteristics of this system have allowed the SFE to navigate narrow passages without sacrificing image quality. To date, the SFE has been used for in vivo imaging of the bile duct, esophagus and peripheral airways. In this study, the standard SFE operation was tailored to capture wide field fluorescence images and spectra. Green (523 nm ) and blue (440 nm ) lasers were used as illumination sources, while the white balance gain values were adjusted to accentuate red fluorescence signal. To demonstrate wide field fluorescence imaging of small lumens, the SFE was inserted into a phantom model of a human pancreatobiliary tract and navigated to a custom fluorescent target. Both wide field fluorescence and standard color images of the target were captured to demonstrate multimodal imaging.