In-vivo fluorescence and reflectance imaging of human cervical tissue

A hyperspectral imaging spectrograph has been used to measure the fluorescence and reflectance of cervical tissue in vivo. The instrument was employed in a clinical trial in Vilnius, Lithuania, where 111 patients were examined. The patients were initially screened by Pap smear, examined by colposcopy and a tissue sampling procedure was performed. Detailed histopathological assessments were performed on the biopsies, and these assessments were correlated with spectra and images. The results of the spectroscopic investigations show that different tissue types within one biopsy region exhibit different spectral signatures. A spectral analysis of the entire image localizes dysplastic regions in both fluorescence and reflectance, suggesting that the hyperspectral imaging technique is useful in the management of cervical malignancies.