Abstract
BackgroundLaser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is a non-invasive and fast technique for measuring microvascular blood flow that recently has found clinical use for burn assessment and evaluation of flaps. Tissue motion caused by for example breathing or patient movements may however affect the measurements in these clinical applications, as may distance between the camera and the skin and tissue curvature. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effect of frame rate, number of frames/image, movement of the tissue, measuring distance and tissue curvature on the measured perfusion.MethodsMethyl nicotinate-induced vasodilation in the forearm skin was measured using LSCI during controlled motion at different speeds, using different combinations of frame rate and number of frames/image, and at varying camera angles and distances. Experiments were made on healthy volunteers and on a cloth soaked in a colloidal suspension of polystyrene microspheres.ResultsMeasured perfusion increased with tissue motion speed. The relation was independent of the absolute perfusion in the skin and of frame rate and number of frames/image. The measured perfusion decreased with increasing angles (16% at 60°, p = 0.01). Measured perfusion did not vary significantly between measurement distances from 15 to 40 cm (p = 0.77, %CV 0.9%).ConclusionTissue motion increases and measurement angles beyond 45° decrease the measured perfusion in LSCI. These findings have to be taken into account when LSCI is used to assess moving or curved tissue surfaces, which is common in clinical applications.
Highlights
Laser-based techniques for measurement of skin blood flow, including Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) and Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging (LDPI), have been used during the last decades for assessment of local blood flow in tissues under stress, such as after flap surgery, burns, and poorly healing wounds[1,2,3,4,5]
Tissue motion increases and measurement angles beyond 45 ̊ decrease the measured perfusion in Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI). These findings have to be taken into account when LSCI is used to assess moving or curved tissue surfaces, which is common in clinical applications
The development of laser Doppler scanners (LDPI) enabled perfusion of larger tissue areas, but even with modern LDPI systems, individual scans can take up to six seconds, even though the measurement area is limited to 50–80 cm2[6,7,8]
Summary
Laser-based techniques for measurement of skin blood flow, including Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) and Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging (LDPI), have been used during the last decades for assessment of local blood flow in tissues under stress, such as after flap surgery, burns, and poorly healing wounds[1,2,3,4,5]. The biomedical use of Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) was first introduced in the beginning of the 1980s using analog techniques. With the development of digital cameras and faster computers, it has evolved into a non-invasive, non-contact and fast technique for measuring microvascular blood perfusion. Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is a non-invasive and fast technique for measuring microvascular blood flow that recently has found clinical use for burn assessment and evaluation of flaps. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of frame rate, number of frames/image, movement of the tissue, measuring distance and tissue curvature on the measured perfusion
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