CURRENTLY COMMERCIAL ENDOSCPES USE VISIBLE GLASS FIBEROPTICS AND OPERATE IN THE VISIBLE REGION OF THE SPECTRUM.

CURRENTLY COMMERCIAL ENDOSCPES USE VISIBLE GLASS FIBEROPTICS AND OPERATE IN THE VISIBLE REGION OF THE SPECTRUM. HIGH ENERGY LASERS HAVE SHOWN PROMISE AS A MEANS FOR DEVELOPING LOCALIZED BLOOD COAGULATION WITH CLOASE CONTROL OVER THE PENETRATION OF TISSUE NECROSIS. CO2 LASER TRANSMITTING AT 10.6 MICRONS HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR CAUTERY IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT AND THUS CAN REDUCE AND POSSIBLY AVOID THE NEED FOR EXPENSIVE COAGULANTS AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION. CURRENTLY, INFRARED TRANSMITTING GLASSES (2-14 MICRONS REGION) ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE AND NEED TO BE FIBERIZED TO DIAMETERS SUCH THAT THEY CAN BE COUPLED WITH COMMERCIAL (VISIBLE) ENDOSCOPES. THE PROPOSED PHASE I IS TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY WHEREIN COMMERCIAL INFRARED TRANSMITTING GLASSES AND POLYMERS WILL BE SCREENED AND EVALUATED FOR POSSIBLE IMPURITIES AND TOXIC CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR FIBERIZING CHARACTERISTICS WILL BE ESTABLISHED. SUCCESSFUL MATERIALS WILL BE MADE INTO FIBEROPTICS AND THEIR POTENTIALS AS INFRARED FIBEROPTICS FOR CO2 LASER ENDOSCOPY WILL BE EVALUATED. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COUPLING OF THE PROPOSED INFRARED FIBEROPTICS IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMERCIAL (VISIBLE) ENDOSCOPES WILL BE ESTABLISHED. PHASE II WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT, TEST AND EVALUATION EFFORT FOR AN INFRARED FIBEROPTIC CO2 LASER ENDOSCOPY SYSTEM AND ITS POTENTIALS FOR COMMERCIALIZATION IN PHASE III.