Backloadable optical shape sensing guidewires

A method for advancing a catheter to a target region relative to a distal end of an optical guidewire including at least one guidewire fiber core for generating an encoded optical signal indicative of a shape of the optical guidewire, the method comprising:

• connecting a proximal end of the optical guidewire to a guidewire interface, via an optical connector, to optically communicate the encoded optical signal from the at least one guidewire fiber core through at least one interface fiber core to an optical guidewire controller,
• wherein the guidewire interface includes the at least one interface fiber core optically coupled to the optical guidewire controller, and
• wherein the optical guidewire controller is responsive to the encoded optical signal for reconstructing the shape of the optical guidewire;
• subsequent to the connection of the optical guidewire (10) to the guidewire interface, disconnecting the distal end of the optical guidewire from the guidewire interface, via the optical connector, and backloading the catheter over the optical connector onto a proximal end of the optical guidewire;
• subsequent to the disconnection of the optical guidewire from the guidewire interface and the backloading of the catheter over the optical connector onto the proximal end of the optical guidewire, reconnecting the optical guidewire to the guidewire interface to recommunicate the optical encoded optical signal from the at least one guidewire fiber core through the at least one interface fiber core to the optical guidewire controller;
• and
• upon at least one of the connection and reconnection of the proximal end of the optical guidewire to the guidewire interface, micro-aligning the at least one guidewire fiber core and the at least one interface fiber core.