OCT PROBE WITH BOWING FLEXOR Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC A61B5/00 G02B6/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to medical equipment, namely to diagnostic imaging devices. OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) probe for imaging patient tissue comprises cannula comprising a lumen and having a cannula axis, selectively displaceable light-carrying optical fiber disposed within the lumen and having a distal end, wherein the optical fiber is adapted to emit light from the distal end, flexor made of elastically bowing material and extending through the lumen, wherein said flexor comprises first segment coupled to the optical fiber, substantially along the entire length of the first segment, second segment, bend formed between the first segment and the second segment, wherein the first segment and second segment extending from the bend in the proximal direction within the cannula, driver configured to axially displace the second segment of the flexor such that the flexor elastically bows to cause the optical fiber to be laterally displaced. According to the second embodiment, the OCT probe comprises flexor comprising the first segment and a second segment extending through the lumen and having an opening formed therein through which the optical fiber extends, driver configured to axially displace at least one of: the first segment and the second segment to cause said one of the first segment and the second segment to elastically bow, and laterally displace the optical fiber. According to the third embodiment, the OCT probe comprises a flexor, extending through the lumen and comprising a first segment and a second segment, wherein the flexor comprises substantially a tubular portion and the second segment extends through the tubular portion. Method for scanning with an OCT probe comprises the steps of emitting a light at patient tissue from an optical fiber in a lumen of a cannula of the OCT probe, laterally displacing the optical fiber within the lumen in response to a linear displacement of a portion of a flexor comprising the first segment and the second segment.

EFFECT: use of the group of inventions provides a wider range of technical means for imaging tissues using the optical coherence tomography.

18 cl, 14 dwg