Patent ID: 8892191
Filing Date: 2014-11-18
Classification: A61B,A61M,A61N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for determining distance between a probe tip and a proximate surface of an internal tissue during an endoscopic surgical procedure, the method comprising: providing a handheld probe comprising (a) a handpiece having a probe tip insertable into a patient's body and disposed at an end of the handpiece, and (b) an optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe connected to the handpiece, such that a functionality of the OCT probe is provided at the probe tip, the OCT probe comprising a probe lens; inserting the probe tip into the patient's body and disposing it adjacent to the surface of the internal tissue; and determining the distance between the probe tip and the surface of the tissue by measuring an amount of light reflected off the surface and captured by the probe lens and determining the distance from the measured amount of reflected light, the determined distance being inversely proportional to the captured amount of reflected light.