Confocal microscopy: Imaging cervical precancerous lesions

We explore the clinical potential of reflectance and fluorescence confocal microscopy to image the morphologic and biochemical changes associated with precancer, in order to aid in the detection and diagnosis of cervical dysplasia. Cervical epithelial tissue samples imaged ex vivo or in vivo were obtained from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Houston, Texas. Confocal reflectance microscopy was used to image ex vivo cervical biopsies and in vivo cervical tissue. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to image ex vivo cervical tissue slices. We present reflectance and fluorescence confocal images of cervical tissue demonstrating the ability to differentiate between normal and abnormal cervical tissue. We believe that there is significant clinical potential for confocal microscopy to provide a sensitive and specific method for cervical precancer detection.