Optical guided vacuum assisted biopsy device

Abstract

An interventional device, e.g. a Vacuum Assisted Biopsy (VAB) needle, incorporating optical fibers such that biological tissue in a volume at a side of the interventional device can be substantially completely optically probed by optical spectroscopy. In a VAB embodiment, a plurality of optical fiber pairs connected to respective optical ports, are placed at opposite positions along the suction cavity, and they are readout subsequently allowing to make a map of the tissue properties along the place where the tissue will be cut by the VAB needle. Based on decision software in an optical console, it can be determined whether the tissue present in the cutting cavity is completely normal tissue or not, prior to actually performing the biopsy on the tissue. In this way a well defined end point for VAB is created. In one embodiment, the optical fibers are arranged in a wall structure of a thin sleeve which fits onto existing VAB needles, thus allowing the VAB needle to be upgraded with an optical probing capability.