Rapid slide-free and non-destructive histological imaging using wide-field optical-sectioning microscopy

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pathology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Histopathology of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues is the standard for surgical margin assessment (SMA).
• Current pathological practices are time-consuming and do not provide intraoperative guidance to surgeons.
• There is a need for rapid, non-destructive imaging methods for real-time SMA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a practical, low-cost histological imaging method for rapid surgical margin assessment.
• To evaluate the potential of High-and-Low-frequency (HiLo) microscopy as an intraoperative SMA tool.
• To demonstrate HiLo microscopy's capability in identifying diagnostic features of specific cancer subtypes.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of wide-field optical-sectioning microscopy (HiLo microscopy).
• Rapid, non-destructive imaging of freshly-excised human tissues at 5 cm²/min.
• Analysis of cellular and surface features for diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• HiLo microscopy achieved high-speed (5 cm²/min) and high-resolution (1.3 µm lateral, 5.8 µm axial) imaging of fresh tissues.
• The method successfully extracted diagnostic features for lung adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma subtypes.
• Generated surface and cellular images comparable to the clinical standard were obtained.

Conclusions:

• HiLo microscopy offers a rapid and non-destructive approach for surgical margin assessment.
• This technique provides immediate feedback, aiding intraoperative decision-making for surgeons and pathologists.
• HiLo microscopy shows significant potential for clinical translation to enhance cancer diagnosis and patient care.