Controlled ultrasonic micro-dissection of thin tissue sections.

In order to obtain sufficient quantities of pure populations of cells or a single cell from surrounding tissue for analytical investigation, we have developed an ultrasonic microdissection system. The system utilizes a vision-based method for detecting the contact between the microdissection needle tip and a target surface. A multilayer stack piezoelectric actuator is employed to generate ultrasonic vibrations for histological isolation. Automated micro-dissection is also realized using visual feedback and vision-based control. Experimental results on tumor tissue sections show that the system has a high dissection accuracy and efficiency and is able to realize dissecting arbitrary shapes in specified locations on a tissue sample. Furthermore, effects in variations of vibration amplitude and frequency of ultrasonic micro-dissection as well as needle insertion depths on micro-dissection accuracy and speed were evaluated.