OCT probe with bowing flexor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9655524-B2
Application number	US-201414267692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2014
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An OCT probe includes a cannula and includes a selectively displaceable light-carrying optical fiber disposed within the cannula. The optical fiber may be arranged to emit light from a distal end thereof. A flexor may be bent to divide the flexor into a first segment and a second segment extending along a lumen of the cannula. The first segment may be coupled to the optical fiber. A driver may be configured to push or pull the second segment in the axial direction to elastically bow the second segment and laterally displace the optical fiber to perform an OCT scan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An OCT probe for imaging patient tissue, comprising:
a cannula comprising a lumen and having a cannula axis;
a selectively displaceable light-carrying optical fiber disposed within the lumen and having a distal end, the optical fiber being adapted to emit light from the distal end;
a flexor extending through the lumen and comprising a first segment and a second segment, the first segment coupled to the optical fiber; and
a driver configured to linearly displace the second segment in a first axial direction that is parallel to the cannula axis such that the optical fiber is laterally displaced.

2. The OCT probe of claim 1 , wherein the flexor comprises a bend, and wherein the second segment extends from the bend in an oblique direction.

3. The OCT probe of claim 2 , wherein the second segment is configured to bow when the driver displaces the second segment in the first axial direction.

4. The OCT probe of claim 1 , the flexor comprises a biasing element that cooperatively biases the fiber to a first position in the cannula.

5. The OCT probe of claim 1 , comprising a second flexor extending through the lumen and comprising a third segment and a fourth segment, the third segment coupled to the optical fiber on a side of the optical fiber opposite the first segment.

6. The OCT probe of claim 5 , wherein the driver is operatively coupled with the second segment and the fourth segment and configured to alternatingly displace one of the second segment or the fourth segment in the first axial direction and the other of the second segment or the fourth segment in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction.

7. The OCT probe of claim 5 , wherein the second flexor comprises a bend, and wherein the fourth segment extends from the bend in an oblique direction, and wherein the fourth segment is configured to bow when the fourth segment is displaced in one of the first axial direction or the second axial direction.

8. The OCT probe of claim 5 , wherein the driver is configured to displace the second segment in the first axial direction while displacing the fourth segment in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction to cause the optical fiber to be laterally displaced.

9. The OCT probe of claim 1 , wherein the first segment is shorter than the second segment.

10. The OCT probe of claim 1 , further comprising a lens disposed in the lumen of the cannula distal of the optical fiber and moveable with the fiber.

11. The OCT probe of claim 1 , wherein the cannula is sized to penetrate an eye of a patient to scan a retina of the eye.

12. The OCT probe of claim 1 , wherein the flexor comprises a tubular portion and the second segment extends through the tubular portion.

13. The OCT probe of claim 12 , wherein the tubular portion is fixed in place relative to the cannula.

14. The OCT probe of claim 12 , wherein the first segment is coupled to the optical fiber via an opening formed in the flexor, the optical fiber extending through the opening.

15. The OCT probe of claim 1 , wherein the first segment extends along a portion of the optical fiber and is attached to the optical fiber along the portion of the optical fiber.

16. An OCT probe for imaging patient tissue, comprising:
a cannula comprising a lumen and having a cannula axis;
a selectively displaceable light-carrying optical fiber disposed within the lumen of the cannula and having a distal end, the optical fiber adapted to emit light from the distal end;
a flexor comprising a first segment and a second segment extending through the lumen and having an opening formed therein through which the optical fiber extends; and
a driver configured to linearly displace at least one of the first segment and the second segment in a first axial direction that is parallel to the cannula axis to cause said one of the first segment and the second segment to elastically bow and laterally displace the optical fiber.

17. The OCT probe of claim 16 , wherein the flexor further comprises a tubular portion, and wherein the second segment extends through the tubular portion.

18. The OCT probe of claim 17 , wherein the tubular portion of the first segment is fixed in place relative to the cannula.

19. The OCT probe of claim 18 , wherein the driver is adapted to axially displace the first segment to cause the optical fiber to become laterally displaced.

20. A method of scanning with an OCT probe, comprising:
emitting a light at patient tissue from an optical fiber in a lumen of a cannula of the OCT probe; and
laterally displacing the optical fiber within the lumen of the cannula in response to a linear displacement of a portion of a flexor coupled to the optical fiber in an axial direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the cannula, the flexor comprising a first segment and a second segment,
wherein the first segment extends along a portion of the optical fiber and is attached to the optical fiber along the portion of the optical fiber.

Assignees

• Novartis Ag

Inventors

• Wheatley Barry Lynn

Classifications

• A61B5/0066 Primary

  Optical coherence imaging · CPC title

• A61B3/102

  for optical coherence tomography [OCT] · CPC title

• A61B5/0084

  for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters (A61B5/1459 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B1/07 Primary

  using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres · CPC title