OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY APPARATUS, OPTICAL FIBER LATERAL SCANNER AND A METHOD FOR STUDYING BIOLOGICAL TISSUES IN VIVO

摘要

The present invention relates to the analysis of the internal structures ofobjects usingoptical means. According to the invention there were designed an apparatussuited for opticalcoherence tomography (OCT), an optical fiber lateral scanner (15), which is apart of saidapparatus and is incorporated into an optical fiber probe (8), and a methodfor studyingbiological tissue in vivo, which allows for making a diagnostics of thebiological tissue understudy on basis of the state of the basal membrane (46). The moving part oflateral scanner (15)of sampling arm (4) of interferometer (2) is arranged comprising a currentconductor (19),which envelopes a magnetic system (17) in the area of one of its poles (25)and an optical fiber(13), which is rigidly fastened to current conductor (19), whereas opticalfiber (13) serves as aflexible cantilever, allowing to miniaturize the optical fiber probe (8).Constructing magneticsystem (17) as two permanent magnets (22, 28) which are aligned at theiranalogous poles (25,29), and placing optical fiber (13) in a throughhole (30), the throughhole(30) being formed bythe facing grooves made in said analogous poles (25, 29) of permanent magnets(22, 28), ensureoptimization of the design of optical fiber probe (8), the body (11) of saidoptical fiber probe (8)having limited dimensions. Optical fiber probe (8) is placed at the distal endof an instrumentalchannel of an endoscope or borescope. Studying of biological tissue in vivowith the aid of thedeveloped apparatus allows for non-invasive diagnostics of biological tissueon basis of thestate of basal membrane (46).