Remote skin tissue diagnostics in vivo by fiber optic evanescent wave Fourier transform infrared (FEW-FTIR) spectroscopy

The new method of fiberoptical evanescent wave Fourier transform infrared (FEW-FTIR) spectroscopy has been applied to the diagnostics of normal tissue, as well as precancerous and cancerous conditions. The FEW-FTIR technique is nondestructive and sensitive to changes of vibrational spectra in the IR region, without heating and damaging human and animal skin tissue. Therefore this method and technique is an ideal diagnostic tool for tumor and cancer characterization at an early stage of development on a molecular level. The application of fiber optic technology in the middle infrared (MIR) region is relatively inexpensive and can be adapted easily to any commercially available tabletop FTIR spectrometers. This method of diagnostics is fast (several seconds), remote, and can be applied to many fields. Noninvasive medical diagnostics of skin cancer and other skin diseases in vivo ex vivo and in vitro allow for the development convenient, remote (up to distance of three meters) clinical applications in dermatology and related fields. The spectral variations ii-om normal to pathological skin tissue and environmental influence an skin have been measured and assigned in the regions of 850-4000 cm(-1). The lipid structure changes are discussed. We sire able to develop the spectral histopathology as a fast and informative Tool of analysis.