gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Presently diagnostic gold standard in evaluation of lesions of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is microscopically or endoscopically controlled biopsy followed by histological examination. Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (CLE) is a novel ultra high magnification endoscopic method, which allows real-time histological assessment at the cellular and subcellular level. This technique offers an immediate “optical biopsies” and predicts histological diagnosis with high accuracy as demonstrated in the field of gastroenterology.

Methods: In this pilot study conducted at the University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck surgery, Saarland University Medical Centre, Homburg, our group investigated 50 human head and neck tissue specimens ex vivo, including normal and endoscopically altered mucosa and solid tissue. After the application of topical fluorescent agents, resected specimens were analysed with Cellvizio Probe-based CLE. Results were compared to conventional histology.

Results: CLE provided high quality microscopic images of the superficial tissue layers with remarkable resemblance to the conventional histology with high level of accuracy. Moreover, CLE allowed evaluation of the specimen sections on the vertical as well as horizontal axis, whereas histological analysis traditionally enabled evaluation only on the vertical axis.

Conclusion: The preliminary results of this study confirm potential application of the CLE in the assessment of the head and neck pathology. It promises to serve a basis for design of prospective clinical trial that should critically reveal its usefulness in the clinical setting.

Unterstützt durch: Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes

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