![]() However, an RCM device for skin cancer imaging was developed only in the 1990s and was driven by advances in optical and electronic technologies. ![]() Thus, ex vivo RCM may be used to expedite surgical margin assessment such as during Mohs micrographic surgery.Ĭonfocal scanning microscopy was invented in 1957 by Marvin Minsky at Harvard University. The ability to visualize dynamic processes by RCM (e.g., blood flow, inflammatory response) is useful for clinical as well as for basic dermatological research.Įx vivo RCM imaging allows immediate evaluation of freshly biopsied tissue with almost no laboratory processing. In addition, RCM enables repeated imaging of the same lesion over time, which can be used to determine the biologic nature of a lesion or for monitoring efficacy during and after non-invasive treatment. While RCM has been used in a variety of skin conditions, its principal application remains the diagnosis of skin neoplasms, whereby the RCM optical sectioning of the skin simulates a “virtual biopsy.” This non-invasive approach is especially desirable for cosmetically sensitive areas such as the face or to help guide targeted biopsies within larger lesions. In vivo RCM enables the visualization of epidermis and superficial dermis in real time. RCM evaluation can be performed at the bedside-in vivo, or on freshly excised tissue-ex vivo. ![]() Among the non-invasive modalities, RCM imaging is unique in that it allows for the evaluation of the skin at the cellular-level. The search to improve our clinical diagnostic accuracy for identifying skin cancer and to minimize unnecessary skin biopsies has led to the development of non-invasive imaging techniques. ![]()
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