Abstract
The authors are exploring the possible diagnostic use of laser-induced fluorescence in two clinical applications: (1) tumor detection; and (2) visualization of atherosclerotic tissue (e. g. , calcified plaque). To determine whether spectroscopic characteristics can be used for these applications, they measured CW argon-ion laser-induced fluorescence spectra of two tissue types: (1) sixteen human lung tumors (and their adjacent normal tissue); and (2) more than seventy normal and atherosclerotic segments from human aortas and coronary and iliac arteries. It was found that the relative fluorescence intensities of these peaks vary significantly between normal and diseased tissues. It appears likely that laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy can be used as an intraoperative surgical procedure for detection of the interface between diseased and normal tissue.