Simple fibre based dispersion management for two-photon excited fluorescence imaging through an endoscope

We want to implement two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy (TPEFM) into endoscopes, since TPEFM can provide relevant biomarkers for cancer staging and grading in hollow organs, endoscopically accessible through natural orifices. However, many obstacles must be overcome, among others the delivery of short laser pulses to the distal end of the endoscope.

To this avail, we present imaging results using an all-fibre dispersion management scheme in a TPEFM setup. The scheme has been conceived by Jespersen et al. in 20101 and relies on the combination of a single mode fibre with normal and a higher order mode fibre with anomalous dispersion properties, fused in series using a long period grating.

We show that using this fibre assembly, a simple and robust pulsed laser delivery system without any free-space optics, which is thus suitable for clinical use, can be realised.