A method of making a microstructured optical fiber including loading the core and cladding materials of the fiber with hydrogen and deuterium at a loading temperature; annealing the fiber at a selected temperature T.sub.anneal; pumping the fiber with radiation; and reducing the temperature of the fiber and storing the fiber at the reduced temperature before the step of pumping the fiber; and wherein the method allows the hydrogen and the deuterium to become bound to the core material and the cladding material.

According to embodiments, a substantially coaxial arrangement of a camera, a light source, and an ultrasonic sensor can be positioned in an housing of a system that can be deployed from the tool port of a standard bronchoscope. Illumination from the light source facilitates positioning of the system by an operator using information from the camera. The ultrasonic system can determine when an object to be biopsied is adjacent to a biopsy needle.

A system may comprise a catheter including a wall having an inner surface defining a main lumen. The system may also comprise a device including an elongate flexible shaft configured to be slideably inserted within the catheter main lumen and a structure disposed around an outer surface of the elongate flexible shaft. The structure may be configured to engage with a plurality of flat surfaces comprising a portion of the inner surface to prevent rotation of the device within the main lumen.

Provided is a light emitting device including a light source that emits primary light; and a wavelength converter that includes a first phosphor that absorbs the primary light and emits first wavelength-converted light, wherein the light emitting device emits output light including the first wavelength-converted light, the first wavelength-converted light is near-infrared light having a fluorescence intensity maximum value within a wavelength range of 700 nm or more and less than 800 nm, the first wavelength-converted light mainly contains a broad fluorescent component based on an electron energy transition of .sup.4T.sub.2.fwdarw..sup.4A.sub.2 of Cr.sup.3+, and the broad fluorescent component has a fluorescence spectrum half-width that is less than 100 nm.

The image processing apparatus acquires a plurality of types of candidate images based on an endoscope image, performs control of displaying, on a display, a display image based on at least one type of candidate image, performs a first analysis process on one or the plurality of types of candidate images set in advance, selects at least one type of candidate image from the plurality of types of candidate images as an optimum image based on a first analysis process result obtained through the first analysis process, and obtains a second analysis process result by performing a second analysis process on the optimum image.

A light emitting device irradiates a surgical area with first wavelength light and second wavelength light. A wobbling operation of a focus lens included in an imaging device is controlled according to an emission timing of the first wavelength light and the second wavelength light when the surgical area is alternately irradiated with the first wavelength light and the second wavelength light. The present disclosure can be applied to an endoscopic surgical system, for example.

An endoscope light source device includes a plurality of first semiconductor light sources that emit pieces of light in wavelength ranges different from each other, an illumination light generation unit that generates white light as illumination light by using the pieces of light emitted from the plurality of first semiconductor light sources, and at least one light source attachment unit that is configured such that a second semiconductor light source is attachable to and detachable from the light source attachment unit, in which the illumination light generation unit generates the illumination light by using the pieces of light emitted from the plurality of first semiconductor light sources and light emitted from the second semiconductor light source in a case where the second semiconductor light source is attached to the light source attachment unit.

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 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.