APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR FLUORESCENCE GUIDED SURGERY

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for quantifying fluorescent distribution within a surgery site of a patient in an operating room, wherein the surgery site has been exposed for a surgery procedure. Excitation light is provided at each of a plurality of positions at the surgery site in a method embodiment. The excitation light is significantly more intense than any other light sources that are present in the operating room. Fluorescent emission is detected from the surgery site in response to each of the excitation light positions so as to obtain a fluorescent emission image for each excitation light position. The fluorescent light distribution that is internal to a surface of the surgery site is quantified based on the obtained fluorescent emission images. In one aspect, the quantifying operation includes utilizing a structured light source to form a structured light grid over the surgery site surface to thereby obtain a three dimensional (3D) surface mesh of the surface of the surgery site based on the structured light grid.