An optical model of an ultrathin scanning fiber endoscope was constructed using a non-sequential ray tracing program and used to study the relationship between fiber deflection and collection efficiency from tissue. The problem of low collection efficiency of confocal detection through the scanned single-mode optical fiber was compared to non-confocal cladding detection. Collection efficiency i...

Confocal microscopy, which is a major advance upon normal light microscopy, has been used in a number of scientific fields. By confocal microscopy techniques, cells and tissues can be visualized deeply, and three-dimensional images created. Compared with conventional microscopes, confocal microscope improves the resolution of images by eliminating out-of-focus light. Moreover, confocal microsco...