Vacuum-based specimen holder for rapid surgical specimen imaging

Slide-free histology enables rapid evaluation of tissue specimens but can be challenging to perform on curved or beveled surfaces, as are common in surgical excisions. In applications such as intraoperative margin evaluation during Mohs surgery, the full margin of the excised surface needs to be imaged, which requires a high degree of surface flattening. We introduce a vacuum-based specimen holder that achieves a mean 96% margin coverage for slide-free histology of Mohs specimens performed intraoperatively. Moreover, the open-top design allows for manipulation to correct folds and beveled edges associated with excisions during real-time imaging, enabling rapid correction of obscured areas of tissue. Finally, compared to existing positive pressure-based holders, the vacuum-based holder exerts no force onto the optical window during imaging, which enables the use of thin optical windows and removes optical deflection caused by pressure while providing an extremely flat imaging surface.