Pen-Sized Microscope Aims for Precise Brain Surgeries

November 18, 2009

By hammersmith

[Source: DOT Med] – A laser microscope that picks up fluorescently-dyed cells could result in more precise tumor extraction during brain surgery, and streamlined workflows in the operating room.

According to a study published recently in the Journal of Neurosurgery, neurosurgeons at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. found that the pen-sized microscope could help them precisely identify where tumor tissue ends and healthy tissue begins.

The microscope works by letting doctors detect the edges of cancerous tissue at the cellular level. The cancerous tissue is distinguished from healthy tissue by fluorescent dyes, which selectively tag the non-healthy growths.

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