Abstract
Confocal fluorescence microendoscopy provides high-resolution cellular-level imaging via a minimally invasive procedure, but requires fast scanning to achieve real-time imaging in vivo. Ideal confocal imaging performance is obtained with a point scanning system, but the scan rates required for in vivo biomedical imaging can be difficult to achieve. By scanning a line of illumination in one direction in conjunction with a stationary confocal slit aperture, very high image acquisition speeds can be achieved, but at the cost of a reduction in image quality. Here, the design, implementation, and experimental verification of a custom multi-point aperture modification to a line-scanning multi-spectral confocal microendoscope is presented. This new design improves the axial resolution of a line-scan system while maintaining high imaging rates. In addition, compared to the line-scanning configuration, previously reported simulations predicted that the multi-point aperture geometry greatly reduces the effects of tissue scatter on image quality. Experimental results confirming this prediction are presented.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 421-431 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Photonics |
Volume | 1 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Confocal microscopy
- Endomicroscopy
- Microendoscopy
- Multi-point imaging
- Nipkow
- Optical biopsy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Instrumentation
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging