Spectrometry supports fluorescence staging laparoscopy after intraperitoneal aminolaevulinic acid lavage for gastrointestinal tumours

Conventional staging laparoscopy in combination with fluorescence diagnosis has proven to be an effective modality in the detection of macroscopically occult intraperitoneal tumours and metastases. Rats with induced peritonea l carcinosis are photosensibilized by intraperitoneal aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) lavage. After visualization of the tumour foci, the emission from the lesions is measured spectrometrically and the fluorescence analysed quanti tatively ('optical biopsy'). There is a considerable accordance between ima ging by fluorescence diagnosis laparoscopy and point spectrometry in the de tection of peritoneal malignancies. Compared with surrounding healthy perit oneum, tumour-positive areas show significantly higher fluorescence intensi ties in spectrometry. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights res erved.