Abstract
A method to register THz and visible images of cutaneous burn wounds and to calibrate THz image data is presented. Images of partial and full thickness burn wounds in 9 rats were collected over 435 mins. = 7.25 hours following burn induction. A two-step process was developed to reference the unknown structure of THz imaging contrast to the known structure and the features present in visible images of the injury. This process enabled the demarcation of a wound center for each THz image, independent of THz contrast. Threshold based segmentation enabled the automated identification of air (0% reflectivity), brass (100% reflectivity), and abdomen regions within the registered THz images. Pixel populations, defined by the segmentations, informed unsupervised image calibration and contrast warping for display. The registered images revealed that the largest variation in THz tissue reflectivity occurred superior to the contact region at ~0.13%/min. Conversely the contact region showed demonstrated an ~6.5-fold decrease at ~0.02%/min. Exploration of occlusion effects suggests that window contact may affect the measured edematous response.
Highlights
Cutaneous burn wounds are characterized by significant spatiotemporal shifts in tissue water content (TWC) both within and adjacent to the directly injured region
The zone of hyperemia lies beyond the contact region, the zone of stasis typically lies adjacent to the contact region and can extend beyond the contact/no-contact border
This paper describes a methods and protocols by which the wound perimeter and center is located in visible images the burn wound
Summary
Cutaneous burn wounds are characterized by significant spatiotemporal shifts in tissue water content (TWC) both within and adjacent to the directly injured (contacted) region. While the expectation is the edematous response is somewhat concentric to the wound center, the fact that the spatial distribution has not been characterized remains. This presents a problem to the analysis of THz imaging data since the majority of burn wound diagnostic imaging techniques are explored by referencing data to some geographical wound center and wound perimeter. Control points in the visible images were derived from manually drawn burn periphery contours These points were used to locate the wound center in the THz image and spatially co-register all the THz and visible images. The potential effects of dielectric window induced occlusion are discussed
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