Discerning the differential molecular pathology of proliferative middle ear lesions using Raman spectroscopy.
Despite its widespread prevalence, middle ear pathology, especially the development of proliferative lesions, remains largely unexplored and poorly understood. Diagnostic evaluation is still predicated upon a high index of clinical suspicion on otoscopic examination of gross morphologic features. We report the first technique that has the potential to non-invasively identify two key lesions, namely cholesteatoma and myringosclerosis, by providing real-time information of differentially expressed molecules. In addition to revealing signatures consistent with the known pathobiology of these lesions, our observations provide the first evidence of the presence of carbonate- and silicate-substitutions in the calcium phosphate plaques found in myringosclerosis. Collectively, these results demonstrate the potential of Raman spectroscopy to not only provide new understanding of the etiology of these conditions by defining objective molecular markers but also aid in margin assessment to improve surgical outcome.
Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA.
Rishikesh
R
Pandey
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Santosh Kumar
SK
Paidi
Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA.
Jeon Woong
JW
Kang
Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA.
Nicolas
N
Spegazzini
Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA.
Ramachandra Rao
RR
Dasari
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, Connecticut, 06030, USA.|Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 282 Washington St, Hartford, Connecticut, 06106, USA.
Tulio Alberto
TA
Valdez
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.|Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
Ishan
I
Barman
D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D057089:Pathology, Molecular; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*