ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT

An electrosurgical instrument for delivering radiofrequency (RF) and/or microwave energy into biological tissue that is also configured to obtain images of a treatment site performing invasive electrosurgery. In one aspect, the invention provides a chip-based images sensor at the distal end of a cable that also conveys energy for electrosurgery. In another aspect, both light emitting and light sensing element are mounted at the distal end of a probe for insertion through the instrument channel of a surgical scoping device, whereby optical signals do not need to be conveyed through the scoping device, because the transition from electrical signals to optical radiation and back to electrical signals occurs at the distal end.