Abstract: Surgeons may face the difficulty of preoperatively selecting the location for making an incision and intraoperatively identifying and differentiating targeted tissue for removal or for identification so that it is not removed along with neighboring or non-target tissue or so that neighboring or non-target tissue is not nicked, harmed, or removed accidentally. A tissue specific marker can include an aptamer or an affimer configured to bind to a pre-selected target tissue and one or more indicator elements coupled with the aptamer or the affimer. The one or more indicator elements produce a signal thereby allowing identification of the target tissue in a preoperative and operative manner.

Abstract: Surgeons may face the difficulty of preoperatively selecting the location for making an incision and intraoperatively identifying and differentiating targeted tissue for removal or for identification so that it is not removed along with neighboring or non-target tissue or so that neighboring or non-target tissue is not nicked, harmed, or removed accidentally. A tissue specific marker can include an aptamer or an affimer configured to bind to a pre-selected target tissue and one or more indicator elements coupled with the aptamer or the affimer. The one or more indicator elements produce a signal thereby allowing identification of the target tissue in a preoperative and operative manner.

Abstract: Parathyroid adenomas may be identified using optical probes which distinguish the diseased tissue from adjacent healthy tissue. Spectroscopic properties of the tissue may be used to distinguish healthy from diseased tissue. Traditional surgery to remove the parathyroid adenoma may be avoided by using techniques to occlude the blood supply to the diseased tissue. Occlusion may be accomplished by applying energy to the blood vessel such as with radiofrequency energy, ultrasound energy or laser energy. Cryogenic probes may also be used to occlude the blood flow. Clips, sutures or other mechanical mechanisms may also be used to occlude the flow, thereby destroying the diseased tissue.