Infrared Spectral Microscopy: A Primer for the Interventional Radiologist

The rapid progress in interventional radiology requires that practitioners keep abreast of technological developments affecting the clinical contexts in which they work. This includes new techniques for the analysis of samples obtained via image-guided biopsy. Infrared spectroscopic imaging is an investigational modality that promises to improve tissue diagnosis and provide predictions of disease progression. This nondestructive technique combines the spatial information from microscopy with the biochemical profile from mid-infrared spectroscopy to better characterize the disease states. This article illustrates the basic concepts of infrared spectroscopic imaging, presents applications of spectral imaging of tissues, provides an example of spectral imaging in liver tissue, and discusses its relevance to the field of interventional radiology.