Three-dimensional in vivo imaging by a handheld dual-axes confocal microscope

We present a handheld dual-axes confocal microscope that is based on a two-dimensional microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner. It performs reflectance and fluorescence imaging at 488 nm wavelength, with three-dimensional imaging capability. The fully packaged microscope has a diameter of 10 mm and acquires images at 4 Hz frame rate with a maximum field of view of 400 mu m x 260 mu m. The transverse and axial resolutions of the handheld probe are 1.7 mu m and 5.8 mu m, respectively. Capability to perform real time small animal imaging is demonstrated in vivo in transgenic mice. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.