title: Comprehensive confocal endomicroscopy of the esophagus in vivo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Biopsy sampling error can be a problem for the diagnosis of certain gastrointestinal tract diseases. Spectrally-encoded confocal microscopy (SECM) is a high-speed reflectance confocal microscopy technology that has the potential to overcome sampling error by imaging large regions of gastrointestinal tract tissues. The aim of this study was to test a recently developed SECM endoscopic probe for comprehensively imaging large segments of the esophagus at the microscopic level in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Topical acetic acid was endoscopically applied to the esophagus of a normal living swine. The 7 mm diameter SECM endoscopic probe was transorally introduced into the esophagus over a wire. Optics within the SECM probe were helically scanned over a 5 cm length of the esophagus. Confocal microscopy data was displayed and stored in real time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Very large confocal microscopy images (length = 5 cm; circumference = 2.2 cm) of swine esophagus from three imaging depths, spanning a total area of 33 cm(2), were obtained in about 2 minutes. SECM images enabled the visualization of cellular morphology of the swine esophagus, including stratified squamous cell nuclei, basal cells, and collagen within the lamina propria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from this study suggest that the SECM technology can rapidly provide large, contiguous confocal microscopy images of the esophagus in vivo. When applied to human subjects, the unique comprehensive, microscopic imaging capabilities of this technology may be utilized for improving the screening and surveillance of various esophageal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Dongkyun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Schlachter
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Carruth
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA ; The University of Tokyo -School of Engineering, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Minkyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tabatabaei
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Paulino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vacas-Jacques
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Milen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shishkov
authors.affiliation: The University of Tokyo -School of Engineering, Tokyo, Japan ; Massachusetts General Hospital - Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jenny S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sauk
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Norman S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital - Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA ; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA ; Massachusetts General Hospital -Department of Pathology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Guillermo J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Tearney