A Novel Flexible Endomicroscopic Scanning Instrument with Visual Servoing Control

Abstract

Optical biopsy using probe‐based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) technologies performs in vivo tissue scanning of organ surfaces and plays a crucial role in early cancer diagnosis. Herein, a flexible endomicroscopic scanning instrument based on a 3‐degree‐of‐freedom flexible hinge structure and visual servoing control is presented. The instrument integrates OCT and pCLE. OCT information compensates for the imaging distance of pCLE, which can combine the advantages of the two technologies. The mechanism allows for tissue surface scanning with a wire‐driven active bending part and dynamic adjustment of the probe‐tissue distance using a combination of wire and spring‐driven, which satisfy large‐area scanning while maintaining consistence tissue contacts. Local optimization‐based visual servoing control is proposed to optimize the tissue scanning. Through the scanning experiments, high‐quality mosaics of uneven surfaces are obtained with an effective area that is larger than 4 mm2. In vivo animal trial further verifies the feasibility and clinical potential of the instrument.