Assessment of Infantile Hemangiomas Using a Handheld Wireless Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Device

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Dermatology

Background:

• Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) pose significant morbidity risks.
• Current methods for assessing IH severity and treatment response lack objective validation.
• Noninvasive imaging techniques are needed to monitor IH progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a wireless, handheld diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) system.
• To assess infantile hemangioma (IH) characteristics and treatment response.
• To determine the effectiveness of DOS in measuring IH vascularity and oxygenation.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen subjects with 15 IHs were enrolled, classified by stage (proliferative, plateau, involuting).
• A wireless, handheld DOS system was used on IH lesions and normal skin sites.
• Normalized hypoxia fraction (NHF) was calculated to score IH vascularity and oxygenation over time.

Main Results:

• Untreated IHs showed the highest NHF during proliferation (6 months).
• Significant differences in NHF were observed between proliferative, plateau, and involuting stages.
• Treated IHs demonstrated normalized NHF within 2 months, approaching normal skin levels after 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) is effective for assessing IH vascularity and tissue oxygenation.
• DOS can reliably monitor IH progression and response to treatment.
• This noninvasive technology provides objective data for clinical decision-making in IH management.