Medical Imaging

The use of fiber optics has revolutionized many aspects of medicine. It is an amazing experience to go down and look inside your own stomach and beyond, as the author did a few years ago. This is done with a flexible fiber optics instrument called a retroflexion, producing the results shown in Figure (1). An operation, such as the removal of a gallbladder, which used to require opening the abdomen and a long recovery period, can now be performed through a small hole near the navel, using fiber optics to view the procedure. You can see the viewing instrument and such an operation in progress in Figure (2).

Figure 2: Gallbladder operation in progress, being viewed by the rigid laparoscope shown on the right. Such views are now recorded by high resolution television.