Common path optical coherence tomography with fibre bundle probe.

A simple common path optical coherence tomography using a fibre optic bundle as a probe is demonstrated experimentally. The mechanical lateral scans are accomplished outside the specimen, proximal entrance of the fibre bundle, which eliminated the need for moving parts in the distal end of the probe. This feature allows the probe to be made submillimetre in size and easily integrated into surgical tools for intraoperative imaging. The axial and lateral resolutions of the system, and preliminary images of phantom samples, are reported.