COMPACT, FIBER OPTIC HOLOGRAPHIC PROBE FOR OTOLARYNGOLOGY

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DETAILED DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE PROBE FOR MAKING REAL TIME TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS OF THE VIBRATORY PATTERN OF THE TYMPANIC MEMBRANE. THE DESIGN OF THE PROBE INCLUDES THE USE OF SINGLE MODE FIBERS TO PROVIDE THE OBJECT AND REFERENCE BEAMS, A COHERENT FIBER BUNDLE FOR TRANSMISSION OF THE SCATTERED LIGHT AND A TWO DIMENSIONAL, SOLID STATE ARRAY DETECTOR FOR DIGITAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE. THE RESULTING HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION IMAGES ARE STORED FOR PROCESSING AND PRESENTATION VIA COMPUTER INTERFACE. THE COMPACT PROBE IS DESIGNED FOR DIRECT INSERTION IN THE EXTERNAL EAR CANAL WITH CHANNELS FOR PRESSURIZATION AND ACOUSTIC STIMULATION. THIS MODE OF OPERATION WILL ALLOW THE EXAMINATION OF MINUTE CHANGES IN THE DYNAMICS OF THE MEMBRANE WHICH CAN BE CORRELATED WITH THE MORPHOLOGY OF HEARING DISORDERS AND/OR THE EFFICACY OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES. AN INTERFEROGRAM OF A VIBRATING SURFACE WILL BE PRODUCED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPE AND A SIMULATED IMAGE TRANSFER TO A LINEAR DETECTOR ARRAY WILL BE ACHIEVED FOR DIGITAL STORAGE. THE FULL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS INNOVATIVE PROBE WILL CONTRIBUTE FUNDAMENTALLY TO THE ARSENAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGICAL RESEARCHERS AND ULTIMATELY BE TRANSFERRED TO A CLINICAL SETTING.