Fiber bundle endocytoscopy

Endocytoscopy is an optical biopsy technique which uses a miniaturized camera to capture white light microscopy images through an endoscope. We have developed an alternative design that instead relays images to an external camera via a coherent fiber bundle. In this paper we characterize the device and demonstrate microscopy of porcine tissue ex vivo. One advantage of our approach is the ease with which other bundle-compatible imaging modalities can be deployed simultaneously. We show this by acquiring quasi-simultaneous endocytoscopy and fluorescence confocal endomicroscopy images through a single fiber bundle. This opens up possibilities for multi-modal endomicroscopy, combining white light and fluorescence imaging.