Near real time confocal imaging of dysplasia in the oral cavity

The use of high resolution, in vivo confocal imaging may offer a clinical tool to detect early neoplasia and reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer. Our laboratory is currently examining the feasibility of using confocal microscopy for non-invasive diagnosis of dysplasia and early carcinoma in the oral cavity. This study uses a near real time reflectance confocal microscope to acquire images at various depths throughout the epithelial layer. To date, we have examined data from twelve of an approved twenty-two patient study in the oral cavity. Our initial results demonstrate the confocal microscope´s ability to image sub-cellular morphology with a resolution allowing differentiation between normal and dysplastic tissue. These results support this technique´s potential for in vivo assessment of dysplasia within the oral cavity.