An optical fiber inspection system may include an alignment guide having a sleeve portion and a mechanical key structure. The sleeve portion may comprise a first opening arranged to be proximal to one or more optical components in an inspection device and a second opening arranged to be distal to the one or more optical components when the alignment guide is removably engaged with the inspection device. The mechanical key structure may be located adjacent to the second opening and have a shape to engage a geometry of one or more recesses in a bulkhead. Accordingly, the alignment guide may stabilize the inspection device at a particular angle relative to an end face of an object in a field of view of the one or more optical components when a shaft of the inspection device is inserted into the bulkhead.

An optical fibre having a functionalised distal exploration end including a sheath, and a ferrule rigidly connected to the sheath at the distal exploration end, characterised in that the distal exploration end has a functionalised head which is removably attached on the ferrule. Also, a method of assembling the optical fibre.

A hand piece for handling an optical fiber during a laser-surgical intervention comprises a handle body elongated along a main axis and having a through hole extending along the main axis. A guide tube having a tube lumen aligned and communicating with the through hole is attached to the handle body. A fixing device is provided in the handle body for fixing the optical fiber extending through the through hole and the tube lumen in direction of the main axis. The guide tube is made of a shaped memory alloy, which has a transition temperature between 50° C. and 120° C., and which has a straight base shape. Below the transition temperature, the guide tube is bendable by plastic deformation out of the straight base shape into a curved shape, and, when heated up above the transition temperature, the guide tube returns to its straight base shape.

An endoscope includes an insertion unit, an operation unit, an emission end, a first light guide and a second light guide that guide illumination light emitted from a light source unit to the emission end, a lens member that suppresses a variation in a relative intensity of each color light of the illumination light, and a connection unit that optically connects the first light guide, the second light guide, and the lens member; and the lens member is disposed between the first light guide and the second light guide, and the connection unit and the lens member are provided in the operation unit.

An end-firing surgical laser fiber suitable for Thulium Laser Fiber lithotripsy applications includes an internally reflective tube that extends beyond the distal end surface of the fiber to provide a standoff sleeve, and that is welded or otherwise fixed to an end section of the fiber. The standoff sleeve may be made of silica glass or sapphire, a reflective metal, and/or may include a reflectivity-enhancing coating or structure on an inner surface of the tube. In addition, the reflective standoff sleeve may be tapered to increase or decrease a diameter of a distal end of the sleeve to control output power density, and may include index matched fillers or structures that absorb, transmit, or scatter energy away from the fiber cladding, and/or an energy blocking or absorbing structure positioned at an upstream end of the sleeve. Still further, the laser output may be modified by adding relatively low power, extended duration pulses to a high frequency pulse train in order to clear suspended dust particles from an interior of the sleeve during a lithotripsy procedure, and prevent buildup of the particles on the inside diameter of the sleeve.

Disclosed are devices, systems, and methods for characterizing tissue using light scattering spectroscopy. A tissue characterization probe includes an elongate member having a proximal end and a plurality of distal probe tips at a distal end. A plurality of illumination fibers extend through the elongate member to the distal probe tips such that each distal probe tip includes at least one illumination fiber. A plurality of detection fibers also extend through the elongate member such that each probe tip includes at least one detection fiber. The disclosed devices and systems beneficially enable characterization of tissues within depths greater than 100 gm. The disclosed devices and systems also enable effective characterization of anisotropic tissues, such as cardiac myocardium.

An electronic device includes a substrate, a set of light emitters on the substrate and arranged in a plurality of axisymmetric light emitter groups, a set of lenses including a different lens disposed over each axisymmetric light emitter group of the plurality of axisymmetric light emitter groups, and a set of optical fibers. At least one optical fiber in the set of optical fibers has a proximal end, a distal end, and a bend between the proximal end and the distal end. The proximal end is positioned to receive light, through a respective lens in the set of lenses, from the light emitters of a respective axisymmetric light emitter group in the plurality of axisymmetric light emitter groups.

Measuring a concentration of at least one target species is described. A first and second tunable diode laser are configured to generate laser light at a respective wavelength different from one another. A pitch head comprising a transmitting optic is optically coupled to the first and second tunable diode lasers via distal ends of the first and second optical fibers, and is oriented to project respective beams from each of the first and second distal ends through a measurement zone. A photodetector is configured to detect an optical power of light in the first and second wavelengths. A catch head located across the measurement zone from the pitch head is in optical communication with the pitch head to receive the respective beams from the first and second distal ends and direct the respective beams to the photodetector.

Outer jacket support embodiments for laser ablation catheter embodiments are discussed herein. In some cases, such outer jacket support embodiments may be useful for improving the robustness and performance of laser ablation catheters.

An illumination system for a medical technology therapy and/or diagnosis system is provided. The system includes a light source, preferably a laser light source, and a light guide, which at a proximal end can be connected to the at least one light source and/or can be assigned thereto, and which system has at the distal end of the light guide a diffuser element having a longitudinal axis which extends into or in the diffuser element perpendicularly with respect to an input face of the light guide, wherein the diffuser element emits light laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis over its active length in the operating state, wherein the diffuser element has at least one diffuser base body and the diffuser base body contains a matrix that has at least one scattering element and is enclosed at least on its cladding surface by a solid encapsulation.