摘要 |
A miniature electrode array is utilized to stimulate tissue and measure tissue response. When the tissue response is used to diagnose tissue, the spacing of the electrodes in the array is approximately equal to the depth of tissue which is to be examined. The manufacture of such arrays can be accomplished by embedding printed circuit boards, for example, into a properly shaped probe tip. A kinetic device to position the probe on the surface of the tissue provides location information which is correlated with the simultaneous electrical response data in order to generate a tissue map. The tissue mapping capability can be combined with tissue removal devices in order to direct the excision of tissue. When the tissue response is used simply to determine that the array is in contact with the tissue, the electrodes can be widely spaced. Combined with a cell collection device, the electrodes provide feedback to the practitioner that the collection device is making proper contact over the region where cells are to be collected.
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