Endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a flexible fiber bundle

Abstract: We demonstrate in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in the forward direction using a flexible fiber bundle. In comparison to current conventional forward looking probe schemes, our approach simplifies the endoscope design by avoiding the integration of any beam steering components in the distal probe end due to 2D scanning of a focused light beam over the proximal fiber bundle surface. We describe the challenges that arise when OCT imaging with a fiber bundle is performed, such as multimoding or cross-coupling. The performance of different fiber bundles with varying parameters such as numerical aperture, core size and core structure was consequently compared and artifacts that degrade the image quality were described in detail. Based on our findings, we propose an optimal fiber bundle design for endoscopic OCT imaging.