Microscopy of a Tissue Sample Using Structured Illumination

A number of clinical situations could be benefitted by a more rapid histological processing method, which reduces the number of steps between obtaining a fresh tissue specimen and rendering a diagnosis. For instance, currently, there are very few intra-operative tools available to assist surgeons in tumor margin diagnosis to ensure complete removal of the tumor; however, surgical margin detection is a powerful predictor of local recurrence in several cancers. Optical imaging techniques are values for their ability to non-destructively intra-operatively image margins. Wide-field fluorescence microscopy has been used but generates a significant amount of unwanted background fluorescence outside the plane of focus. Similarly, fluorescence confocal microscopy is limited in that specialized optics are required, which increases the cost and decreases the speed. The system developed greatly improves the speed of tissue margin evaluation by using spatially patterned illumination and provides a human-comprehensible, clinically useful output of the high-resolution and high-speed image of a fresh tissue sample produced from an algorithm