Scanning single fiber endoscopy: a new platform technology for integrated laser imaging, diagnosis, and future therapies.

Remote optical imaging of human tissue in vivo has been the foundation for the growth of minimally invasive medicine. This article describes a new type of endoscopic imaging that has been developed and applied to the human esophagus, pig bile duct, and mouse colon. The technology is based on a single optical fiber that is scanned at the distal tip of an ultrathin and flexible shaft that projects red, green, and blue laser light onto tissue in a spiral pattern. The resulting images are high-quality color video that is expected to produce future endoscopes that are thinner, longer, more flexible, and able to directly integrate the many recent advances of laser diagnostics and therapies.