All-reflective tethered capsule endoscope for multimodal optical coherence tomography in the esophagus

Esophageal cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries. Early detection is crucial for effective treatment. Multimodal imaging combining optical coherence tomography (OCT) with complementary optical imaging techniques may provide enhanced diagnostic capabilities by simultaneously assessing tissue morphology and biochemical content.

We aim to develop a tethered capsule endoscope (TCE) that can accommodate a variety of point-scanning techniques in addition to OCT without requiring design iterations on the optical or mechanical design.

We propose a TCE utilizing exclusively reflective optics to focus and steer light from and to a double-clad fiber. Specifically, we use an ellipsoidal mirror to achieve finite conjugation between the fiber tip and the imaging plane.

We demonstrate a functional all-reflective TCE. We first detail the design, fabrication, and assembly steps required to obtain such a device. We then characterize its performance and demonstrate combined OCT at 1300 nm and visible spectroscopic imaging in the 500- to 700-nm range. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the proposed design.

An all-reflective TCE is feasible and allows for achromatic high-quality imaging. Such a device could be utilized as a platform for testing various combinations of modalities to identify the optimal candidates without requiring design iterations.