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A novel ultralow-illumination endoscope system

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Abstract

Background

Endoscopic surgery has become an accepted major type of minimally invasive surgery. However, complications arising from heat generated by sources of endoscopic illumination can include surgical fire or burns, and intense illumination during ob-gyn/fetoscopic surgery might damage fetal ocular development. Fiber-optic bundles for illumination within the endoscope essentially double the outer diameter of the endoscope, which is a major obstacle to miniaturization and decreasing costs. Light cables also decrease the maneuverability of the endoscope

Methods

We developed a novel endoscope with ultralow illumination to visualize dark body cavities and investigated its feasibility in vivo. An adaptor was created to connect a conventional endoscope to an ultrahigh-sensitivity camera developed by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) for broadcasting. The ability to visualize rabbit visceral blood vessels in vivo by the new prototype and by a current endoscope under ultralow illumination provided by a standard light source was compared. In addition, the performance of the two endoscopes was compared using only an extracorporeal flashlight without any specific light source placed within body cavities.

Results

The new endoscope could visualize the target under ultralow illumination of approximately 100 lx. Very little could be visualized using the current endoscope, whereas the prototype generated clear images of the rabbit blood vessels under both ultralow illumination and extracorporeal illumination provided by a flashlight.

Conclusions

The potential for damage caused by a light source can be minimized using our new endoscope, which results in safer and less invasive procedures. Further studies are under way to develop a nonilluminated endoscope without a light cable or source and to miniaturize the camera to decrease costs and improve the maneuverability of the entire endoscope system.

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Acknowledgments

The expertise of Mr. Kenkichi Tanioka (NHK, Tokyo, Japan) has significantly contributed to this project. The new prototype endoscope was fabricated in cooperation with Mr. Tusneo Fukuyo (Shinko Optical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). The authors thank Dr. Akihiko Ishiyama for his expert help during animal experiments. This study was a joint research project among the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, and the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

Disclosures

Keri Kim, Misao Kubota, Yuji Ohkawa, Takashi Shiraishi, Teruo Kawai, Hiromasa Yamashita, and Toshio Chiba have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan

    Keri Kim, Hiromasa Yamashita & Toshio Chiba

  2. Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Keri Kim & Hiromasa Yamashita

  3. NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan

    Misao Kubota & Yuji Ohkawa

  4. NHK Engineering Services, Inc., Tokyo, Japan

    Takashi Shiraishi & Teruo Kawai

  5. Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Shizuoka, Japan

    Akira Kobayashi

Authors
  1. Keri Kim
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  2. Misao Kubota
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  3. Yuji Ohkawa
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  4. Takashi Shiraishi
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  5. Teruo Kawai
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  6. Akira Kobayashi
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  7. Hiromasa Yamashita
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  8. Toshio Chiba
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keri Kim.

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Kim, K., Kubota, M., Ohkawa, Y. et al. A novel ultralow-illumination endoscope system. Surg Endosc 25, 2029–2033 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-010-1498-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-010-1498-8

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