20090177094 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TISSUE EXAMINATION, DIAGNOSTIC, TREATMENT, AND/OR MONITORING - Procedures, techniques, and systems for in vivo monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of tissue during the same or concomitant medical procedure. In disclosed embodiments, during a same or concomitant procedure or examination, tissue can be scanned on a localized level using a real-time optical biopsy system. The real-time optical biopsy system may involve angle-resolved and/or Fourier domain low coherence interferometry (LCI). Because the scanning can be performed in real-time, diagnosis can also be performed in real-time and during the same or concomitant medical procedure. As a result, therapy, if needed, can also be administered to the tissue during the same or concomitant medical procedure. Monitoring of the tissue after therapy can be performed during the same or subsequent procedure. Thus, the procedures and techniques disclosed herein allow detection of tissue anomalies during a first procedure on the patient without waiting for untimely biopsy results, thus providing earlier anomaly detection and treatment and potentially better and timely results and at a lower cost. | 07-09-2009 |