Underwater 3D Imaging Using a Fiber-Based Endoscopic System for Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is widely used on joints. However, conventional endoscope-based arthroscopic surgery does not provide stereoscopic information to the surgeon. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a modified endoscopic system that uses an optical fiber (1 mm diameter) for three-dimensional imaging of knee joints. Our endoscopic system is able to operate underwater in real time. It consists of a laser beam that is projected on the surface of the object to be imaged via an optical fiber. A prism is used to decrease the length and diameter of baseline and endoscope tube, respectively. The small diameter (8 mm) of our endoscope makes it extremely convenient for application in arthroscopic surgery. The feasibility of the proposed system has been demonstrated via experiments on synthetic knee joints.