title: Optical needle endoscope for safe and precise stereotactically guided biopsy sampling in neurosurgery.
abstract: Proper treatment of deep seated brain tumors requires correct histological diagnosis which unambiguously necessitates biopsy sampling. Stereotactically guided sampling of biopsies is widely used but bears the danger of incorrect sampling locations and damage to intracerebral blood vessels. Here, we present a minimally invasive contact endoscopic probe that can be inserted into the tissue inside a standard biopsy needle and allows for fluorescence detection of both tumorous tissue and intracerebral blood vessels. Outer diameter of our contact probe is smaller than 1.5 mm, field-of-view in the range of several hundred microns; the optical design allows for simultaneous detection and visualization of tissue autofluorescence and selective fluorescence signals from deep seated brain tumors and vasculature as shown on in vivo animal models. We demonstrate the tumor detection capability during stereotactic needle insertion in a clinical pilot trial. Using our probe, we expect stereotactic interventions to become safer and more precise and the technology might ultimately be used also for various other kinds of applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research & Technology, KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, Tuttlingen, Germany. werner.goebel@karlstorz.com
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Göbel
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brucker
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kienast
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Gesa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kniebühler
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rühm
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eigenbrod
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goetz
authors.forename: Friedrich-Wilhelm
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Kreth
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ehrhardt
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stepp
authors.forename: Klaus-Martin
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Irion
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herms
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D019723:Endoscopes; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*