MID-INFRARED AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS

The spectroscopy of molecular vibrations using mid-infrared or Raman techniques has been applied to samples of human tissue or body fluids. This review gives examples for its potential in supporting medical diagnostics. Most of the investigations have been performed in the field of internal medicine, namely angiology, hematology, rheumatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and nephrology. Further potential applications in neurology, gynecology, obstetrics and dermatology are considered. Although some fundamental issues of the vibrational spectroscopy of biomedical samples still have to be solved, significant progress has been achieved in its clinical application in-vitro. First steps towards in-vivo applications are described.