In vivo imaging: Raman-style

摘要

The patient lies unconscious on the operating table, brain exposed through a hole in the skull. The tumor – a spherical glioblastoma perhaps 6 mm in diameter – is nothing more than a slightly yellowish opacity on an otherwise pale-pink background. The surgeon excises the tumor in quarters. He pauses after each step to track his progress using a custom-built imaging system that renders the tumor bright fuchsia. Once the first quadrant is cut away, the tumor takes on the appearance of a pink Pac-Man in mid-chomp. Removing another piece leaves half a pie. Soon, only a sliver of pink remains, and then nothing.