A confocal microscope system that is inherently fiberoptic compatible is
described which has line scanning aided image formation. An incoherent
fiberoptic bundle maps a line illumination pattern into a dispersible
group of separate sources, and then remaps this confocally selected
remitted light to the original line. Fibers, not confocal with the
illumination, carry light to be rejected from the image back on itself
upon double passing, while separate fibers carry light from non-confocal
sample planes. The transformation allows efficient rejection of unwanted
photons at a slit aperture. The fiber bundle and an objective lens
provide a flexible probe for imaging internal tissue for pathological
examination on a cellular level.