Deep-learning-based image super-resolution of an end-expandable optical fiber probe for application in esophageal cancer diagnostics

Significance: Endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer (EC) may enable early cancer diagnosis and treatment. While optical microendoscopic technology has shown promise in improving specificity, the limited field of view (<1 mm) significantly reduces the ability to survey large areas efficiently in EC screening. Aim: To improve the efficiency of endoscopic screening, we propose a novel concept of end-expandable endoscopic optical fiber probe for larger field of visualization and for the first time evaluate a deep-learning-based image super-resolution (DL-SR) method to overcome the issue of limited sampling capability. Approach: To demonstrate feasibility of the end-expandable optical fiber probe, DL-SR was applied on simulated low-resolution microendoscopic images to generate super-resolved (SR) ones. Varying the degradation model of image data acquisition, we identified the optimal parameters for optical fiber probe prototyping. The proposed screening method was validated with a human pathology reading study. Results: For various degradation parameters considered, the DL-SR method demonstrated different levels of improvement of traditional measures of image quality. The endoscopists’ interpretations of the SR images were comparable to those performed on the high-resolution ones. Conclusions: This work suggests avenues for development of DL-SR-enabled sparse image reconstruction to improve high-yield EC screening and similar clinical applications.