title: Laser-induced fluorescence and reflected white light imaging for robot-assisted MIS.
abstract: This paper presents an articulated robotic-controlled device to facilitate large-area in vivo tissue imaging and characterization through the integration of miniaturized reflected white light and fluorescence intensity imaging for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The device is composed of a long, rigid shaft with a robotically controlled distal tip featuring three degrees of in-plane articulation and one degree of rotational freedom. The constraints imposed by the articulated section, coupled with the small footprint available in MIS devices, require a novel optical configuration to ensure effective target illumination and image acquisition. A tunable coherent supercontinuum laser source is used to provide sequential white light and fluorescence illumination through a multimode fiber (200 microm diameter), and the reflected images are transmitted to an image acquisition system using a 10,000 pixel flexible fiber image guide (590 microm diameter). By using controlled joint actuation to trace overlapping trajectories, the device allows effective imaging of a larger field of view than a traditional dual-mode laparoscope. A first-generation prototype of the device and its initial phantom and ex vivo tissue characterization results are described. The results demonstrate the potential of the device to be used as a new platform for in vivo tissue characterization and navigation for MIS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK. dnoonan@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Elson
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Mylonas
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darzi
authors.forename: Guang-Zhong
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007834:Lasers; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*