Micro-optical surgical probes and micro-optical probe tips and methods of manufacture therefor

摘要

A medical probe for internally probing tissue or fluid within a subject, the probe comprising: an elongate body 804 having a subject insertable end; an illumination waveguide 810 disposed along the body 804 to output optical illumination from the insertable end toward tissue or fluid to be probed; a collection waveguide 812 disposed along the probe body 804 to collect, from the insertable end, an optical response of the tissue or fluid to the output optical illumination; and an optical probe tip 802 integrally fabricated atop the illumination and collection waveguides 810,812 to optically relay the output optical illumination from illumination waveguide 810 and the optical response to the collection waveguide 812. Tip 802 may include a wavelength selective element in a collection optical path. Tip 802 may define one or more beam shaping elements 802A,802B,802C. A method for manufacturing a medical probe comprising: assembling a multi channel fibre bundle comprising two optical fibres having distinct optical probe channels; micro fabricating a monolithic optical probe tip via a 3D laser printing process to concurrently engage and respectively optically couple the optical probe tip with a distal end of each the two optical fibers. Applicable to spectroscopy probes and multichannel endoscopes.