Beam-scanning Imaging Needle for Endoscopic Optical Coherence Tomography

We present a compact endoscopic probe in a needle form which has a fast beam-scanning capability for optical coherence tomography (OCT). In our study, a beam-scanning OCT imaging needle was fabricated with a 26G syringe needle (0.46 mm in outer diameter) and a thin OCT imaging probe based on the stepwise transitional core (STC) fiber. The imaging probe could freely rotate inside the needle for beam scans. Hence, OCT imaging could be performed without rotation or translation of the needle body. In our design, the structural integrity of the needle's steel tubing was preserved for mechanical robustness. Probing the optical signal was performed through the needle's own window formed at the end. For hand-held operation of our imaging needle, a light and compact scanner module (130 g and 45 x 53 x 60 mm3) was devised. Connected to the imaging needle, it could provide rotational actuation driven by a galvanometer. Because of its finite actuation range, our scanner module did not need a fiber rotary joint which might add undesirable complexity. The beam scan speed was 20 Hz and supported 20 frames per second at the maximum for endoscopic OCT imaging.