Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy: in vivo application to diagnosis of oral carcinoma.
A compact clinically compatible fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) system was designed and built for intraoperative disease diagnosis and validated in vivo in a hamster oral carcinogenesis model. This apparatus allows for the remote image collection via a flexible imaging probe consisting of a gradient index objective lens and a fiber bundle. Tissue autofluorescence (337 nm excitation) was imaged using an intensified CCD with a gate width down to 0.2 ns. We demonstrate a significant contrast in fluorescence lifetime between tumor (1.77+/-0.26 ns) and normal (2.50+/-0.36 ns) tissues at 450 nm and an over 80% intensity decrease at 390 nm emission in tumor versus normal areas. The time-resolved images were minimally affected by tissue morphology, endogenous absorbers, and illumination. These results demonstrate the potential of FLIM as an intraoperative diagnostic technique.
Sun
Yinghua
Y
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis, NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Phipps
Jennifer
J
Elson
Daniel S
DS
Stoy
Heather
H
Tinling
Steven
S
Meier
Jeremy
J
Poirier
Brian
B
Chuang
Frank S
FS
Farwell
D Gregory
DG
Marcu
Laura
L
D000818:Animals; D002610:Cheek / Q000473:pathology; D006224:Cricetinae; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology