NIR FT RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY - A NEW TOOL IN MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS

Raman spectroscopy may aid the development of new tools to make medica l diagnostics more objective. By shifting the exciting radiation of Ra man spectrometers from the Visible to the NIR region, the competing fl uorescence of normal cell components can be reduced. The fluorescence of organic molecules is virtually eliminated when excitation by the Nd :YAG laser radiation at 1064 nm is employed. In combination with optim ized interferometers and remote probes, it is now possible to record R aman spectra in vivo in acceptable times. Software programs are develo ped which interpret the spectra to help in the identification of suspi cious tissues and micro-organisms, and for establishing medical diagno sis. In each case, the information distributed over the whole spectrum has to be evaluated. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.