6533b82dfe1ef96bd1291c88

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Functional and Molecular Imaging with Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy

Ralf KiesslichAlastair J.m. WatsonMarkus F. NeurathMartin Goetz

subject

Materials sciencemedicine.diagnostic_testIn vivoConfocalBiopsyEndomicroscopymedicineMolecular imagingEx vivoPreclinical imagingBiomedical engineeringFixation (histology)

description

In vivo functional and molecular imaging is an emerging new field in gastroenterology. Ex vivo histopathological examination of tissue specimens offers a snapshot view into the tissue, capturing the moment at which the biopsy has been taken. The specimen is subjected to the fixation and staining process, making it prone to artefact. In vivo imaging with confocal endomicroscopy, however, offers the possibility of dynamic monitoring of the living tissue without the need for fixation. To our current knowledge, staining with intravenous fluorescein sodium or topical acriflavine hydrochloride does not alter tissue properties in a way that could influence biological processes. Therefore, with confocal endomicroscopy, a time axis inherent to biological processes can be added to a mere morphological visualisation at a given time point. In this way, confocal endomicroscopy is quite analogous to continuous macroscopic imaging by ultrasonography, providing dynamic microscopic imaging of perfusion and cellular and subcellular function.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2007-12-23
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-35115-3_14