Laser-Based Imaging Technique Enables Much Faster Tissue Diagnosis during Tumor Surgery
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 26 Oct 2023 |
|
The central nervous system can have around 120 different kinds of tumors, and the first step in treating them generally involves surgery along with acquiring histological samples. During this procedure, a small part of the tumor is excised and a histological frozen section is readied in the neuropathology department to better understand the tumor's features. Now, a newly developed laser-based imaging method allows neuropathologists to generate a report in just a matter of minutes.
Surgeons at Medical University Vienna (Vienna, Austria) have started employing this novel laser-based imaging method that considerably speeds up tissue diagnosis during tumor surgeries. Using Stimulated Raman Histology (SRH), a digital cross-section of the tissue can be instantly created right in the surgical suite, enabling a diagnosis within just a few minutes. In comparison, the standard method involving tissue transportation, manual preparation, and analysis usually takes around 30 minutes on an international average.
One of the advantages of this technique is that since the tissue is examined in its natural, untreated form, it remains fully available for any subsequent, more in-depth diagnostic tests. If SRH detects diagnostic tumor tissue, needle biopsies can also be concluded much more quickly. These procedures are not applicable just to brain tumors but can also be utilized for confirming diagnoses of other neurological conditions like blood vessel inflammatory diseases and demyelinating lesions. Initially developed in the United States, the SRH method was first adopted in Europe at the Department of Neurosurgery of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, led by Georg Widhalm. A research study at MedUni Vienna showed a 99% correlation between digital histology and conventional frozen section.
"The new technology enables surgeons to make faster decisions regarding the optimal surgical strategy in the operating room, which significantly reduces the time in the operating room for patients. In addition, the safety of the procedure is also increased," said Georg Widhalm.
Related Links:
Medical University Vienna
Latest Pathology News
- Label-Free Imaging Reveals Hidden Immune Activity in Blood Samples
- AI Tool Improves Prediction of Immunotherapy Response in Lung Cancer
- New Journal Addresses Evolving Needs in Clinical and Translational Pathology
- AI Matches Pathologists in Predicting Breast Cancer Prognosis from Immune Cells
- AI-Pathologist Framework Improves Accuracy and Reliability in Cancer Diagnosis
- New Review Highlights Intelligent Agents as Next Step for Digital Pathology
- Simple Immunohistochemical Size Ratio Improves Classification of Primary Aldosteronism
- AI Links Organ-Specific Aging Patterns in Histology to Blood-Based Signals
- 30-Minute 3D Histology Tool Supports Intraoperative Glioma Margin Assessment
- AI Uses H&E Slides to Predict Key Biomarkers Across 32 Cancers
- AI Tool Identifies Slide Artifacts to Speed Digital Pathology Diagnosis
- FDA-Cleared Digital Pathology Platform Expands Interoperability for Primary Diagnosis
- AI Pathology Tool Predicts Relapse Risk in Stage II Colorectal Cancer
- AI Pathology Tool Stratifies Rectal Cancer to Guide Chemoradiotherapy
- PD-L1 Assay Guides Pembrolizumab Eligibility in Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Peritoneal Cancers
- AI Digital Pathology Platform Standardizes IHC Scoring in Breast Cancer
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
New Blood Biomarker Predicts May Predict Preeclampsia and Fetal Growth Restriction
Preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction are major drivers of stillbirth and serious maternal morbidity, yet clinicians still lack reliable early predictors to guide targeted surveillance.... Read more
Biomarker Score Helps Differentiate Takotsubo Syndrome from Myocardial Infarction
Takotsubo syndrome, often called broken-heart syndrome, mimics myocardial infarction and can be difficult to triage in emergency settings. It accounts for about 2% of suspected heart attacks and up to... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Automated System Streamlines DNA Recovery for MRD-Sensitive Testing
Molecular laboratories are under pressure to detect extremely low levels of residual disease, yet pre-analytical recovery of cell-free and genomic DNA from large-volume blood and plasma remains a persistent... Read more
New Liquid Biopsy Platform Uses Red Blood Cells to Detect Hidden Cancer Signals
Plasma-based liquid biopsy can miss clinically actionable tumor signals, particularly in early-stage disease and low-shedding tumors, limiting its utility for routine monitoring. Clinical laboratories... Read more
Hematology
view channel
New Genetic Findings Reveal Cause of Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome
Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) impair the bone marrow’s ability to produce sufficient healthy blood cells and are associated with an increased risk of early-onset myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).... Read more
Ultra-Portable Device Enables Finger-Prick Blood Testing at Home
Patients who need frequent blood tests often face repeated clinic visits that burden services and disrupt care. In the UK, millions of tests are performed each year to diagnose disease, guide therapy,... Read more
Immunology
view channel
New Cellular Map May Help Predict Crohn’s Disease Course in Children
Crohn’s disease in children is a common and debilitating form of inflammatory bowel disease, marked by chronic intestinal inflammation and limited pediatric-specific treatments. Clinicians must decide... Read more
Temporal Immune Profiling Reveals How Sepsis States Change Over Time
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in which the immune response to infection becomes dysregulated, leading to rapid organ failure and death. Although antimicrobials and organ support remain standard... Read more
Study Identifies Immune Cells That Drive Harmful Autoantibody Responses in COVID-19
Autoantibodies that mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues have been linked to severe COVID-19, Long COVID, and increased risk of autoimmune disease. However, the origins of these autoantibodies during... Read more
Microbiology
view channel
Gut Microbiome Classifier Improves Colorectal Cancer Risk Stratification
Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality, and current noninvasive screening methods still miss many precancerous lesions. Clinicians therefore need tools that improve risk stratification... Read more
New Diagnostic Workflow Identifies Bloodstream Pathogens and Antibiotic Response in Hours
Sepsis is a life-threatening complication of infection that affects more than 1.5 million patients annually in the United States and contributes to roughly one in three in-hospital deaths.... Read more
Pathology
view channel
Label-Free Imaging Reveals Hidden Immune Activity in Blood Samples
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are widely used to monitor infection, autoimmunity, cancer, and treatment response, yet most assays depend on fluorescent labels that can perturb cells and provide... Read more
AI Tool Improves Prediction of Immunotherapy Response in Lung Cancer
Immune checkpoint therapies benefit only a subset of patients, while standard biomarkers often struggle to predict who will respond. Spatially resolved tumor profiling can provide deeper biological context,... Read more
Technology
view channel
Bacterial Vesicle Expression System Streamlines Production of Cancer Diagnostic Proteins
Recombinant proteins are central to many cancer diagnostics and therapies, but numerous targets remain difficult and costly to produce because they are unstable, toxic to microbial hosts, or require precise folding.... Read more
Autonomous Robotic System Receives FDA Authorization for Blood Collection
Venipuncture is central to many diagnostic pathways, but routine blood collection can be affected by staffing constraints and procedural variability that influence consistency and patient experience.... Read more
Industry
view channel
New NHS Partnership Expands Access to Epigenetic CNS Tumor Classifiers
Rapid and accurate classification of central nervous system tumors remains a challenge, particularly in children where histology alone can misclassify aggressiveness and drive overtreatment.... Read more
