Intraoperative stimulated Raman histology for personalized brain tumor surgery

Background: In brain tumor surgery a personalized surgical approach is crucial to achieve a maximum safe tumor resection. The extent of resection decisively depends on the histological diagnosis. Stimulated Raman histology (SRH), a fiber laser-based optical imaging method, offers the possibility for evaluation of an intraoperative diagnosis in a few minutes. Objective: To provide an overview on the applications of SRH in neurosurgery and transference of the technique to other surgical disciplines. Methods: Description of the technique and review of the current literature on SRH. Results: The SRH technique was successfully used in multiple neuro-oncological tumor entities. Initial pilot projects showed the potential for analysis of extracranial tumors. Conclusion: The use of SRH provides a near real-time diagnosis with high diagnostic accuracy and provides further developmental potential to improve personalized tumor surgery.