Quantitative phase imaging of opaque specimens with flexible endoscopic microscopy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a flexible endoscopic microscopy technique that enables quantitative phase imaging of unlabeled, thick, and opaque biological samples with high resolution, suitable for clinical diagnostics.

Contribution

The study presents a novel flexible endoscopic microscopy system using diffracted gradient light for direct, label-free phase imaging of complex biological tissues.

Findings

Successfully imaged pathologic tissue slices and thick opaque tissues ex vivo.

Identified glandular structures, secretions, and skin layers in vivo.

Achieved cellular-level resolution with a compact fiber-based probe.

Abstract

The flexible endoscope is a minimally invasive tool in clinical settings, but most of them rely on exogenous staining for diagnosis to provide qualitative information. Here, we demonstrated a flexible endoscopic microscopy (FEM) with diffracted gradient light for quantitative phase imaging of unlabeled thick samples. Our instrument features a small form factor fiber bundle as the endoscope probe, cellular-level lateral and axial resolutions, and direct phase measurement via simple field modulation. By testing pathologic slices, thick opaque mammalian tissue ex vivo and wound healing in vivo, FEM identifies normal and tumor glandular structures, secreta, and tomographic skin layers. With the advantages of direct morphological and phase measurement, high resolution, and thin fiber tip, the label-free FEM could be an attractive tool for various clinical applications.