Development of a handheld Raman microspectrometer for clinical dermatologic applications.

Although skin is easily accessible to optical methodologies, a portable measurement head is necessary to allow ready spectroscopic interrogation of all anatomic locations. However, most conventional Raman microspectrometers and even dermatologic-specific Raman systems are fixed systems ill-suited to anatomic accessibility. To this end, we have developed a portable Raman microspectrometer system for future dermatologic studies. An in-house-built bench-top system was used to qualify the optical components and design. Based on this system's layout, a handheld microspectrometer was developed for future clinical application. This system produces similar operating characteristics to the bench-top prototype, and is shown to provide clear Raman spectra from skin tissue measured in vivo in clinically-feasible integration times.