Optical biopsy of laryngeal lesions using femtosecond multiphoton microscopy

Abstract

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most prevalent malignancy of the upper aerodigestive tract. Detection of early lesions <i>in vivo</i> could improve the survival rate significantly. In this study, we demonstrated that femtosecond multiphoton microscopy (MPM) is an effective tool to visualize the microscopic features within fixed laryngeal tissues, without sectioning, staining, or labeling. Accurate detection of lesions and determination of the tumor grading can be achieved, with excellent consistency with conventional histological examination. These results suggest that MPM may represent a powerful tool for in-vivo or fast ex-vivo diagnosis of laryngeal lesions at the point of care.