Patent ID: 8764666

Claim:
An imaging probe for imaging a tissue site comprising: an integral probe package having a longitudinal axis; an OCT and/or photoacoustic probe disposed on or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the integral probe package; a GRIN lens optically coupled to the OCT and/or photoacoustic probe and directed to a corresponding first field of view of the tissue site, an ultrasound probe having a distal end surface directed to a corresponding second field of view of the tissue site; where the ultrasound, OCT and/or photoacoustic probe have a common data receiving port; where the first and second fields of view have an identical view of the tissue site at the same time; and an image processor electrically coupled to the OCT and/or photoacoustic probe and ultrasound probe, the image processor having a single real time output image taken at one predetermined time from the identical view of the first and second fields of view from the OCT and/or photoacoustic probe and from the ultrasound probe respectively, whereby a multimodal single image of the tissue site at one predetermined time is produced by the imaging probe.