Measurement of nuclear size distribution of epithelial tissues in vivo for diagnosis of early precancerous changes using reflectance spectroscopy

Summary form only received as follows: The author observed a fine component in backscattered light from mucosal tissue, which is periodic in wavelength. This structure is ordinarily masked by a diffusive background. The author has identified the origin of this component as being due to light that is Mie scattered by surface epithelial cell nuclei. By analyzing the amplitude and frequency of the fine structure, the density and size distribution of these nuclei can be extracted. In an in vivo clinical study in patients with Barrett´s esophagus, a spectroscopic diagnosis was made and then compared to the histologic diagnosis. In vivo spectroscopy was both sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of early precancerous changes.