ABSTRACT
Sensitive techniques for detection and localization of different kinds of diseased tissue are important. Techniques based on laser spectroscopy, such as laser-induced fluorescence, may give additional diagnostic help to improve the probability of earlier discovery. Laser-induced fluorescence could be used to guide the treating laser probe, utilizing the spectral signature of the different stones. This chapter reviews the results obtained by our group in the field of tissue diagnostics using laser-induced fluorescence and related techniques, and describes some equipment that has been developed in connection with the work. It presents clinical investigations as well as experimental work and gives references to related work. Laser-induced fluorescence can be used for spectroscopic characterization of biological tissue, because tissue chromophores are excited to higher energy levels when hit by laser light. The different chromophore molecules absorb light at specific wavelengths.
