A reflectance confocal endomicroscope with double-clad fiber coupler and electrically tunable focus lens is applied to imaging of the oral mucosa. The instrument is designed to be lightweight and robust for clinical use. The tunable lens allows axial scanning through >250 μm in the epithelium when the probe tip is placed in contact with tissue. Images are acquired at 6.6 frames per second with a field of view diameter up to 850 μm. In vivo imaging of a wide range of normal sites in the oral cavity demonstrates the accessibility of the handheld probe. In vivo imaging of clinical lesions diagnosed as inflammation and dysplasia illustrates the ability of reflectance confocal endomicroscopy to image cellular changes associated with pathology.
Handheld tunable focus confocal microscope utilizing a double-clad fiber coupler for in vivo imaging of oral epithelium
Olsovsky C, Hinsdale T, Cuenca R, Cheng YSL, Wright J, Rees TD, Jo JA, Maitland KC, “Handheld tunable focus confocal microscope utilizing a double-clad fiber coupler for in vivo imaging of oral epithelium,” Journal of Biomedical Optics, 22(5), 056008, 2017.