Light in the Larynx: a Miniaturized Robotic Optical Fiber for In-office Laser Surgery of the Vocal Folds.

This paper reports the design, construction, and experimental validation of a novel hand-held robot for in-office laser surgery of the vocal folds. In-office endoscopic laser surgery is an emerging trend in Laryngology: It promises to deliver the same patient outcomes of traditional surgical treatment (i.e.

Benefits of Side-Firing Optical Fibers in Endoscopic Laser Treatment of the Larynx.

Objective: To elucidate potential tissue coverage of side-firing optical fibers in office-based endoscopic laser treatment of larynx, as well as to demonstrate their enhanced ability to address challenging anatomic areas.

Method: We performed a comparative study of four different fiber designs: a traditional forward-facing fiber, and three side-firing fibers that emit light at an angle of 45°, 70°, and 90°, respectively. The study was conducted in simulation, using eight three-dimensional models of the human larynx generated from microtomography x-ray scans.

Optical Fiber Coupling System for Steerable Endoscopic Instruments.

In this paper, we present an optical coupling system that couples light from an Endostat fiber in a commercial laser surgical system into a smaller multimode fiber, in order to enable endoscopic probe steering in a tightly confined space. Unlike the Endostat fibers, which have a minimum bending radius of 12 mm due to the large diameter, our work allows the laser to be delivered by smaller fibers that can be readily bent at a 6-mm bending radius by a distal steerable mechanism. Such a readily achievable sharp bending facilitates the surgical laser to access hard-to-reach anatomies.

On the Merits of Using Angled Fiber Tips in Office-based Laser Surgery of the Vocal Folds.

Office-based endoscopic laser surgery is an increasingly popular option for the treatment of many benign and pre-malignant tumors of the vocal folds. While these procedures have been shown to be generally safe and effective, recent clinical studies have revealed that there are a number of challenging locations inside the larynx where laser light cannot be easily delivered due to line-of-sight limitations. In this paper, we explore whether these challenges can be overcome through the use of side-firing laser fibers.

Computational Optimization of Notch Spacing for a Transnasal Ear Endoscopy Continuum Robot.

This paper presents a computational framework to optimize the visual coverage attainable by a notched-tube continuum robotic endoscope inside the middle ear cavity. Our framework combines anatomically-accurate geometric (mesh) models of the middle ear with a sampling-based motion planning algorithm (RRT) and a ray-casting procedure to quantify what regions of the middle ear can be accessed and visualized by the endoscope. To demonstrate the use of this framework, we run computer simulations to investigate the effect of varying the distance between each pair of consecutive flexure elements (i.