In vivo nerve identification in head and neck surgery using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Background: Careful identification of nerves during head and neck surgery is essential to prevent nerve damage. Currently, nerves are identified based on anatomy and appearance, optionally combined with electromyography (EMG). In challenging cases, nerve damage is reported in up to 50%.

Nerve detection during surgery: optical spectroscopy for peripheral nerve localization.

Precise nerve localization is of major importance in both surgery and regional anesthesia. Optically based techniques can identify tissue through differences in optical properties, like absorption and scattering. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of optical spectroscopy (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy) for clinical nerve identification in vivo.

Optimal endobronchial tool sizes for targeting lung lesions based on 3D modeling.

Background: For patients with suspicious lung lesions found on chest x-ray or CT, endo/trans- bronchial biopsy of the lung is the preferred method for obtaining a diagnosis. With the addition of new screening programs, a higher number of patients will require diagnostic biopsy which will prove even more challenging due to the small size of lesions found with screening. There are many endobronchial tools available on the market today and a wide range of new tools under investigation to improve diagnostic yield.

Nerve detection using optical spectroscopy, an evaluation in four different models: In human and swine, in-vivo, and post mortem.

Objective: Identification of peripheral nerve tissue is crucial in both surgery and regional anesthesia. Recently, optical tissue identification methods are presented to facilitate nerve identification in transcutaneous procedures and surgery. Optimization and validation of such techniques require large datasets.

Real-time in vivo assessment of radiofrequency ablation of human colorectal liver metastases using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Background: The success of radiofrequency (RF) ablation is limited by the inability to assess thermal tissue damage achieved during or immediately after the procedure. The goal of this proof-of-principle study was to investigate whether diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopy during and after RF ablation of liver tumours could aid in detecting complete tissue ablation.

Material And Methods: DR spectra were acquired in vivo in eight patients undergoing RF ablation for unresectable colorectal liver metastases, using a disposable spectroscopy needle.