5-Aminolaevulinic Acid (ALA) for the Fluorescence Detection of Bronchial Tumors.
At the moment only early detection of lung cancer offers a good prognosis for the patients. Conventional white light endoscopy is mostly insufficient for early diagnosis. Therefore we developed a system of fluorescence diagnosis using 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) exogeneously applied. As precursor of the heme synthesis it is metabolized to protoporphyrin IX - a red fluorescent substance. Therefore protoporphyrin IX accumulates in tumorous and premalignant tissue, and can be directly visualized by fluorescence bronchoscopy. Excitation with blue light (380-435 nm) causes a red fluorescence, which can be detected after filtering most of the blue component with the naked eye or a camera system. After earlier work with laser systems and cold light sources we now use the system D-Light AF for the fluorescence diagnosis using ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX fluorescence.
Huber
R M
RM
Division of Pneumology Department of Medicine Klinikum Innenstadt, University of Munich Ziemssenstraße 1 München D-80336 Germany.
Gamarra
F
F
Hautmann
H
H
Häußinger
K
K
Wagner
S
S
Castro
M
M
Baumgartner
R
R