A disposable endoscopic platform with actuation motors inside the body of the endoscope is presented. This platform can enable new medical devices for diagnosis and for minimally invasive surgeries. This paper addresses mechanical and safety issues with existing endoscope technologies by incorporating disposability, safety modules, and lower cable forces. In order to produce path-independent ca...

This paper describes the first accomplishment of the Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurement principle via endoscope optics. The applicability of the approach is verified by in-vitro experiments. Off-the-shelf ToF camera sensors enable the per-pixel, on-chip, real-time, marker-less acquisition of distance information. The transfer of the emerging ToF measurement technique to endoscope optics is the ba...

OBJECTIVE To describe an innovative miniature visualization surgical endoscope and endoscopic techniques applicable to dental implant procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS A newly developed modular dental implant endoscope is introduced, and the first impressions from its use in different implant procedures are reported. RESULTS Details of the device that combines an endoscope, irrigation cannu...

Patients with laryngeal lesions were observed and the lesions were recorded with an electronic videoendoscope system using the PENTAX EPM-3300 video processor and the PENTAX VNL-1330 endoscope portion. The electronic videoendoscope system differs from the conventional fiberoptic endoscope connected to a video camera in that a small monochrome charge-coupled device (CCD) chip is built in the tip...

We have developed a 2.1 mm outer diameter optical coherence tomography endoscope that provides radial scans of luminal structures. The endoscope consists of three elements: (1) a stationary central core containing the fibers and focusing elements, (2) a rotating intermediate tube with a distal rod prism, and (3) a stationary sterilized glass cover. This design enables radial and spiral scanning...

Clipping bilateral middle cerebral artery (bMCA) aneurysms via unilateral approach in a single-stage operation is considered as a challenge procedure. To our knowledge, there is no study in surgical management of patients with bMCA aneurysms by fully endoscope-controlled techniques. The author reported a patient with bMCA aneurysms who underwent aneurysms clipping via a unilateral supraorbital ...

The 3D Reconstruction problem from a single endoscope image of a smooth object is studied in the context of the Shape from Shading methods and considering a single light source at the camera projection center. Based on a curve expansion Shape from Shading algorithm, a spherical projection model for the endoscope camera and a dichromatic model for the surface reflectance, an approach to solve pr...

We describe a simple modification to a rigid endoscope so as to provide both high-quality conventional and confocal images of reasonably accessible regions of the body. This versatile system uses a structured illumination approach together with a conventional incoherent illumination source. Images taken in fluorescence are presented using this combined conventional and confocal endoscope.

In-situ pilot studies of aerobic cometabolism were conducted to evaluate the injection of toluene-vapor and air into TCE-contaminated aquifer. Delivery of primary substrate (toluene) in a vapor state with air enhanced the growth of indigenous toluene-utilizing bacteria that would degrade TCE by aerobic cometabolism. Meanwhile, delivering toluene in a vapor state effectively reduced potential cl...

We describe a novel robotic endoscope system. It can be used to observe a wide area without moving or bending the endoscope. The system consists of a laparoscope with zoom facility and two wedge prisms at the tip. This new concept produces excellent characteristics as follows. Firstly, it can change the field of view even in a small space. Secondly, it is safe because it avoids the possibility ...