TH-A-WAB-10: Blood Perfusion of the Skin as An Indicator of Radiation-Induced Skin Reaction

Abstract

Purpose: The oxygenation state of tissue is known to correlate with radiation‐induced effects. We hypothesize that local blood perfusion of skin is directly related to the local oxygen concentration; thus blood perfusion may serve as an effective indicator for radiation‐induced skin reactions. Recent advances in near‐infrared laser imaging allows near real time non‐invasive detection of blood perfusion in the skin. We report a preliminary study of laser imaging for its ability to detect variations in blood perfusion under different environmental, physical, and physiological conditions. Methods: A Moor instrument utilizing near‐infrared laser (Moor Instruments, Devon, UK) is utilized for the investigation of perfusion in both motile phantom and human palm. The device projects a speckle pattern on the skin and measure the degree of speckle sharpness in real time. The phantom consists of two cylinders one filled with a motile standard and the other is a static reflector. The phantom is shaken for 10 seconds then is allowed to settle for 2 minutes prior to imaging. We performed laser imaging under conditions such as skin scratching, cold, or exercise. Results: The 10 second scan from the phantom scan shows a higher perfusion than the 20 and 30 seconds but has a lower standard deviation than that of the 20 and 30 second scans. This is probably due to the settling down of the particles in the phantom over time resulting in reduced perfusion for the 20 and 30 measurements. The palm images shows a decreased perfusion following the application of the cold pack and an increased perfusion after exercise. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of using near‐infrared imaging to monitor skin blood perfusion. It may provide a useful tool to monitor and mitigate radiation‐induced skin reactions. CMCR/NIAID/NIH