Patent ID: 8452384

Claim:
A handheld system for sidestream dark field imaging of tissue beneath a tissue surface, comprising: an elongate body portion including an imaging passage extending along a length of the elongate body portion; one or more illumination passages which are disposed radially about the imaging passage within the elongate body portion and which are optically isolated from the imaging passage along an entire length of the imaging passage for surface reflection avoidance or reduction when an examination tip of the elongate body portion is proximate the tissue surface; a plurality of light sources which are disposed within the one or more illumination passages, which are disposed in a distal portion of the elongate body portion, which are disposed in a position configured to be in close proximity to the tissue surface during use, and which are configured to directly project light onto a first tissue site via the one or more illumination passages; and an analysis section optically coupled to the imaging passage and configured to capture data of tissue beneath the tissue surface from a second tissue site different from and adjacent to the first tissue site.