Optic fibre bundle contact imaging probe employing a laser scanning confocal microscope.

A small diameter (600 micro m) fused optic fibre imaging bundle was used as a probe to compare fluorescent specimens by direct contact imaging using both a conventional fluorescence microscope and a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) system. Green fluorescent polyester fibres placed on a green fluorescent cardboard background were used to model biological tissue. Axial displacement curves support the hypothesis that pinhole size in the LSCM system reduces the contribution of non-focal plane light. Qualitative comparison showed that the LSCM system produced superior image quality and contrast over the conventional system. The results indicate that the new LSCM-probe combination is an improvement over conventional fluorescence-probe systems. This study shows the feasibility of employing such a small diameter probe in the investigation of biological function in difficult to access areas.