Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for detecting image degradation during a surgical procedure are provided. A method includes receiving images of a surgical instrument; obtaining baseline images of an edge of the surgical instrument; comparing a characteristic of the images of the surgical instrument to a characteristic of the baseline images of the edge of the surgical instrument, the images of the surgical instrument being received subsequent to obtaining the baseline images of the edge of the surgical instrument and being received while the surgical instrument is disposed at a surgical site in a patient; determining whether the images of the surgical instrument are degraded, based on the comparing of the characteristic of the images of the surgical instrument and the characteristic of the baseline images of the surgical instrument; and generating an image degradation notification, in response to a determination that the images of the surgical instrument are degraded.

A method for transmitting information includes deriving a transfer function that relates a first image formed over a first area on an end face (38) of a multimode optical fiber (40) and a second image formed over a second area extending over a side (42) of the multimode optical fiber. Optical information is input to the multimode optical fiber through one of the first and second areas. Following transmission of the optical information through the multimode optical fiber, the optical information that is output from the other of the first and second areas is detected and decoded using the transfer function.

A living tissue sampling method includes inserting an endoscope inserted into a guide sheath into a body cavity of a subject, checking three-dimensional image information of a body cavity path against distal end position data of the endoscope, bringing distal ends of the endoscope and the guide sheath close to a focused region, removing the endoscope from the guide sheath while keeping the guide sheath stationed inside the body cavity, inserting a biopsy instrument into the guide sheath, and sampling living tissue of the focused region by the biopsy instrument.

A medical observation system includes: a light source configured to emit, to body tissue, at least one of first narrow band light and second narrow band light; an imaging element that includes: a pixel portion including plural pixels arranged in a two-dimensional matrix; and a color filter including red filters, green filters, and blue filters that are provided on light receiving surfaces of the plural pixels, each of the light receiving surfaces including any one filter of the red, green, and blue filters on each of the light receiving surfaces; and a cut filter that is provided on a light receiving surface side of at least the pixels provided with the green filters, the cut filter being configured to shield light of a shorter wavelength band including the wavelength band of the second narrow band light, and transmit therethrough the first narrow band light.

An endoscope includes a sensor that can detect a conductive member. Based on a detection result of the conductive member by the sensor, the endoscope can switch between a normal operation mode and an energy-saving operation mode in which power consumption is smaller than power consumption in the normal operation mode.

An endoscope system includes a light source that emits lights with first to n-th wavelengths, a lens that makes the lights with the first to n-th wavelengths parallel lights, a diffractive optical element (DOE) that converges components of the lights with the first to n-th wavelengths, the components being included in the parallel lights, into first to n-th linear lights at mutually different positions, a slit that projects, onto a subject, first to n-th pattern lights based on the first to n-th linear lights, an imager that captures, as one-frame image, an image of the subject onto which the first to n-th pattern lights are projected, and a processor being configured to calculate a distance to the subject or a shape of the subject based on the image captured by the imager.

Vision systems on catheters, cannulas, or similar devices with guiding lumens include receptors distributed in annular areas around respective lumens. Each of the receptors has a field of view covering only a portion of an object environment, and the field of view of each of the receptors overlaps with at least one of the fields of view of the other receptors. A processing system can receive image data from the receptors of the vision systems and combine the image data to construct a visual representation of the object environment.

Embodiments for crossing an occlusion by controlling a guide with the aid of optical coherence tomography (OCT) data are described. Embodiments include transmitting one or more beams of radiation via one or more waveguides on a flexible substrate within a guide wire. One or more beams of scattered or reflected radiation may be received from a sample via one or more waveguides. Depth-resolved optical data of the sample may be generated based on the received beams of scattered or reflected radiation. The depth-resolved data may be used for determining at least one of a distance between the guide wire and a wall of the artery and a distance between the guide wire and an occlusion within the artery. A position of the guide wire within the artery may then be controlled based on the determined distance or distances.

A medical device including a main tube having an outer wall, a first lumen, and a camera lumen; a tip housing separately manufactured from the main tube and including a tubular housing part extending from a proximal end to a distal end, a first lumen extension, a camera lumen extension, the tubular housing part enclosing the first lumen extension and the camera lumen extension, and the proximal end of the tip housing mounted at the distal end of the main tube; a camera module; a camera housing positioned in the camera lumen extension and affixing the camera module to the tip housing, the camera housing having a tubular housing part having an inner face; and a support structure including a tubular end part having an outer face adhesively bonded to the inner face of the tubular housing part to secure the camera module to the camera housing.

A device includes an offset subtraction unit; an image sensor which receives, for each of a plurality of bright frames, a respective image signal obtained during a respective exposure time of the image sensor, and transmits the same to the offset subtraction unit, and receives, for a dark frame, a respective image signal obtained during a respective exposure time of the image sensor, and transmits the same to the offset subtraction unit; and a control unit which ensures that the image sensor alternately transmits a number of bright frames and one dark frame to the offset subtraction unit. An amount of light by which the respective image signal for each of the bright frames is generated is larger than an amount of light by which the respective image signal for the dark frame is generated; and the offset subtraction unit obtains an offset and subtracts the offset from a signal.