Fluorescence Visualization Technology

 A NEW TOOL FOR ORAL MUCOSAL EXAMINATION        

The VELscope System is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists, hygienists, and other oral health care professionals with an easy-to-use adjunctive mucosal examination system for the early detection of abnormal tissue.  The VELscope System patented technology platform was developed by the British Coloumbia Cancer Agency in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center, with funding provided in part by the NIH.  It is based on the direct visualization of tissue fluorescence and the changes in fluorescence that occur when abnormalities are present.  The VELscope  System Handpiece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, which excites the tissue from the surface of the epithelium through to the basement membrane and into the stroma beneath, causing it to fluoresce.  The clinician is then able to immediately view the different fluorescence responses to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.  In fact, the VELscope System is the only adjunctive device cleared by the FDA and Health Canada to help discover oral musosal lesions that might not be apparent or visible to the naked eye and to help surgeons determine the appropriate surgical margin for tumor excision.  Under examination with the VELscope System, abnormal tissue typically appears as an irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue.