Multi-cladding optical fiber scanner

Apparatus for imaging a site within a patient's body and rendering therapy to a site, comprising:

• (a) a multi-cladding optical fiber that includes a core, an inner cladding, and an outer cladding, all extending generally between a proximal end and a distal end of the multi-cladding optical fiber;
• (b) an imaging light source that produces an imaging light for use in illuminating a site within a patient's body to produce an image of a site, the imaging light being directed into the core of the multi-cladding optical fiber at the proximal end and being conveyed to the distal end of the multi-cladding optical fiber, for emission toward a site to be imaged;
• (c) a therapy light source that produces therapy light having a substantially greater power than the imaging light, the therapy light being directed into the inner cladding at the proximal end and being conveyed to the distal end of the multi-cladding optical fiber, to render therapy to a desired region at a site;
• (d) an actuator disposed adjacent to the distal end of the multi-cladding optical fiber, the actuator being selectively energized so as to move the distal end of the core and the inner cladding in a desired path, both while imaging a site using the imaging light to illuminate and while rendering therapy to a desired region of a site with the therapy light emitted from the inner cladding and directed toward the desired region;
• and
• (e) at least one sensor for receiving light from a site that is being imaged, the at least one sensor producing a signal useful for producing an image of a site in response to the light received therefrom as a result of the imaging light illuminating a site.

An endoscopic system for illuminating an internal site with visible light and rendering a therapy to the internal site within a patient's body with a relatively high-power light, comprising:

• (a) a high-power light source that produces high-power light for rendering the therapy;
• (b) a visible light source, the visible light source producing visible light that is substantially lower in power than the high-power light, and is employed for illuminating an internal site;
• (c) a multi-cladding optical fiber that includes an outer cladding, an inner cladding, and a core;
• (d) an actuator that is selectively energized to move a cantilevered portion of the core and the inner cladding in a desired pattern proximate to an internal site, so that visible light emitted from the core scans and illuminates the internal site to enable imaging of the internal site, and so that high-power light emitted from the inner cladding scans over a desired region of the internal site to render therapy to the desired region;
• (e) first means for coupling the high-power light into the inner cladding of the multi-cladding optical fiber, the inner cladding conveying the high-power light toward an internal site;
• and
• (f) second means for coupling the visible light into the core of the multi-cladding optical fiber, the core conveying the visible light toward the internal site.