Development of a fiber-optic gamma endoscope to measure both optical and gamma images in a confined space.

In nuclear medicine, obtaining information on the exact location, size, and dose of radiopharmaceuticals distributed on lesions is critically important. Therefore, we have fabricated a novel fiber-optic gamma endoscope (FOGE) to measure the shape and size of the radioisotope as well as the gamma-ray distribution simultaneously. To evaluate the performance of the novel FOGE, we obtained optical images and gamma images by using a USAF 1951 target and radioisotope sources, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the FOGE could be utilized to obtain both the location and the distribution of the radioactive isotope that emitted gamma-rays. Based on the results of this study, use of a flexible and thin FOGE would be valuable in nuclear medicine and nuclear safety technologies given the advantages of accurate dose-monitoring. Especially, improvements could be achieved in surgery technologies because the FOGE could be used in minimally invasive radioguided surgery owing to its thin form and flexibility.