In Vivo
The term in vivo (Latin for ‘within the living’) refers to a medical test, experiment or procedure that is done on (or in) a living organism as opposed to in a laboratory method. Animal studies and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research. In vivo testing is often employed over in vitro because it is better suited for observing the overall effects of an experiment on a living subject.
Small fiber diameters (less than or equal to 125μm diameter) are most useful for in vivo medical applications.
A wide range of Fibercore’s optical fibers are used for in vivo applications, ranging from laser surgery, to optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to 3D shape sensing. Polyimide coated fibers are particularly interesting for in vivo use as the coating is very thin, offering low profile fibers and their high temperature performance and chemical resistance mean they can be used in ETO and autoclave sterilization techniques.