Disposable sheath that facilitates endoscopic Raman spectroscopy

作者：Wang Wenbo; Short Michael; Tai Isabella T; Zeng Haishan^*

来源：Journal of Biomedical Optics, 2016, 21(2): 025001.

DOI：10.1117/1.JBO.21.2.025001

• Raman spectroscopy
• endoscopy
• disposable sheath
• cross-contamination control
• maximum permissible exposure
• spectral variability

In vivo endoscopic Raman spectroscopy of human tissue using a fiber optic probe has been previously demonstrated. However, there remain several technical challenges, such as a robust control over the laser radiation dose and measurement repeatability during endoscopy. A decrease in the signal to noise was also observed due to aging of Raman probe after repeated cycles of harsh reprocessing procedures. To address these issues, we designed and tested a disposable, biocompatible, and sterile sheath for use with a fiber optic endoscopic Raman probe. The sheath effectively controls contamination of Raman probes between procedures, greatly reduces turnaround time, and slows down the aging of the Raman probes. A small optical window fitted at the sheath cap maintained the measurement distance between Raman probe end and tissue surface. To ensure that the sheath caused a minimal amount of fluorescence and Raman interference, the optical properties of materials for the sheath, optical window, and bonding agent were studied. The easy-to-use sheath can be manufactured at a moderate cost. The sheath strictly enforced a maximum permissible exposure standard of the tissue by the laser and reduced the spectral variability by 1.5 to 8.5 times within the spectral measurement range.

• 出版日期2016-2