Table 1.
Summary of key specifications and trade-offs
| Technology | Free-standing | Probe-based system | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide-field microscopy |
Wide-field spectroscopy |
Fluorecence tomography |
Wide-filed endoscopy |
Fiber-optic spectroscopy |
Point-scanned confocal |
Line-scanned confocal |
|
| Field of view | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Spatial resolution | ☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ |
| Imaging depth | ☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆ |
| Frame rate | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ |
| Sensitivity | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ |
| Direct contact with patients | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commercially avaliable | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Related clinical studies | 11–18, 22 | 25, 49, 50 | 33 | 9, 10, 24 | 8, 10, 24 | 23 | N/A |