In vivo imaging of lingual cancer in a rabbit model using a hand-held imaging beta probe

Advances in radiopharmaceuticals and clinical understanding have escalated the use of intraoperative gamma probes in surgery, providing benefits that include increased specificity in tissue obtained for biopsy, minimally accessed incisions, and the reduction of inpatient hospital utilization with improved patient recovery. At present, most probes on the market are non-imaging gamma probes that suffer from the lack of ancillary information of the surveyed area, such as the clear delineation of malignant tissue. Also, the highly penetrating gamma radiation present locally or even in remote parts of the body increases the background radiation level and limits the practical use of these probes. To address these limitations, we have developed a novel, handheld digital imaging probe to be used in surgery or in the clinic in conjunction with beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals such as FDG (F), I and P. This imaging beta probe (IBP) allows the real-time imaging of a surveyed area with higher spatial resolution and sensitivity and greater convenience than existing instruments. The hand-held IBP consists of a thin microstructured CsI:Tl film optically coupled to a highly sensitive electron-multiplying charged coupled device (EMCCD) via a flexible fiberoptic conduit. We report the results of our experiments using this hand-held IBP for rapid and accurate identification and delineation of lesions in a rabbit's tongue.