Development and first in‐human use of a Raman spectroscopy guidance system integrated with a brain biopsy needle

Abstract

Navigation‐guided brain biopsies are the standard of care for diagnosis of several brain pathologies. However, imprecise targeting and tissue heterogeneity often hinder obtaining high‐quality tissue samples, resulting in poor diagnostic yield. We report the development and first clinical testing of a navigation‐guided fiberoptic Raman probe that allows surgeons to interrogate brain tissue in situ at the tip of the biopsy needle prior to tissue removal. The 900 μm diameter probe can detect high spectral quality Raman signals in both the fingerprint and high wavenumber spectral regions with minimal disruption to the neurosurgical workflow. The probe was tested in three brain tumor patients, and the acquired spectra in both normal brain and tumor tissue demonstrated the expected spectral features, indicating the quality of the data. As a proof‐of‐concept, we also demonstrate the consistency of the acquired Raman signal with different systems and experimental settings. Additional clinical development is planned to further evaluate the performance of the system and develop a statistical model for real‐time tissue classification during the biopsy procedure.

Redox state changes of mitochondrial cytochromes in brain and breast cancers by Raman spectroscopy and imaging

“…Fig.1A shows the first in Europe Raman-guided in vivo brain analysis of the brain for the animal modelliving ratusing Raman endospectroscopy performed by Abramczyk et al 4 The first Raman-guided in vivo human brain analysis was performed by Desroches et al in 2019. 9 Fig.1B presents the Raman spectra of living rat brain obtained by using the hand-held Raman spectrometer with endospectroscopic fiber probe in the Raman guided in vivo measurement for normal brain at 785 nm and compared with the ex vivo normal brain tissue surgically resected specimens of animal model (rat) at the excitation 532 nm and at 785 nm.…”

Real‐time augmented reality for delineation of surgical margins during neurosurgery using autofluorescence lifetime contrast

“…More recently, label‐free optical techniques, specifically Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging , have emerged as a means for intraoperative guidance of neurosurgical procedures. In contrast to the conventional imaging techniques noted above, the spectroscopic signatures derived from Raman and fluorescence measurements provide information about a plethora of intrinsic molecular and metabolic fingerprints in tissues and cells that might vary with tumor phenotype, heterogeneity of both normal and diseased tissue or tissue and cellular response to therapy (eg, radiation therapy).…”

A look into the use of Raman spectroscopy for brain and breast cancer diagnostics: linear and non-linear optics in cancer research as a gateway to tumor cell identity

“…• Raman biomarkers [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]43,44] • Raman optical biopsy [10,11,15] • Raman guided surgery [ Figure 4 [71],]…”