A beam-splitter-type 3-D endoscope for front view and front-diagonal view images.

Autor: Kamiuchi, Hiroki, Masamune, Ken, Kuwana, Kenta, Dohi, Takeyoshi, Kim, Keri, Yamashita, Hiromasa, Chiba, Toshio
Zdroj: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology & Surgery; Jan2013, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p111-120, 10p
Abstrakt: Purpose: In endoscopic surgery, surgeons must manipulate an endoscope inside the body cavity to observe a large field-of-view while estimating the distance between surgical instruments and the affected area by reference to the size or motion of the surgical instruments in 2-D endoscopic images on a monitor. Therefore, there is a risk of the endoscope or surgical instruments physically damaging body tissues. To overcome this problem, we developed a Ø7- mm 3-D endoscope that can switch between providing front and front-diagonal view 3-D images by simply rotating its sleeves. Methods: This 3-D endoscope consists of a conventional 3-D endoscope and an outer and inner sleeve with a beam splitter and polarization plates. The beam splitter was used for visualizing both the front and front-diagonal view and was set at 25° to the outer sleeve's distal end in order to eliminate a blind spot common to both views. Polarization plates were used to avoid overlap of the two views. We measured signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), sharpness, chromatic aberration (CA), and viewing angle of this 3-D endoscope and evaluated its feasibility in vivo. Results: Compared to the conventional 3-D endoscope, SNR and sharpness of this 3-D endoscope decreased by 20 and 7 %, respectively. No significant difference was found in CA. The viewing angle for both the front and front-diagonal views was about 50°. In the in vivo experiment, this 3-D endoscope can provide clear 3-D images of both views by simply rotating its inner sleeve. Conclusions: The developed 3-D endoscope can provide the front and front-diagonal view by simply rotating the inner sleeve, therefore the risk of damage to fragile body tissues can be significantly decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index
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