Patent ID: 6975898

Claim:
Apparatus for selectively providing imaging and at least one other function for a region of interest in a patient, comprising: (a) at least one light source that produces light; (b) a light guide having a proximal end and a distal end, the at least one light source being optically coupled to the proximal end of said light guide, so that light from all of said at least one light source is conveyed along a single optical path defined by the light guide toward a region of interest, said distal end of the light guide being adapted to be positioned adjacent to a region of interest; (c) a scanning actuator disposed adjacent to the distal end of the light guide, said scanning actuator driving a distal end of the light guide into a resonance movement mode, causing light produced by the at least one light source that is conveyed through the light guide to scan a region of interest, illuminating only a pixel at a time in regard to an image of a region of interest; (d) a light detector that receives light from each pixel that is illuminated by the scanning actuator in a region of interest, producing a signal corresponding to an intensity of said light for use in producing an image of a region of interest; (e) a display adapted to enable a user to visualize an image of a region of interest; and (f) a control circuit that is coupled to control the scanning actuator, the at least one light source, and the light guide, said control circuit being adapted to selectively energize the at least one light source to image a region of interest and render at least one other function to a region of interest, said at least one other function including at least one of diagnosing a condition, rendering a therapy, sensing a condition, and monitoring a condition.