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Nerve detection using optical spectroscopy, an evaluation in four different models: In human and swine, in-vivo, and
Gerrit C Langhout1, Torre M Bydlon2, Marjolein van der Voort3
1Department of Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
|November 22, 2017
Summary
This study compared human and swine tissues to assess their suitability for optical nerve identification techniques. Despite some differences, the similarities support using animal models for optimizing optical nerve identification methods.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Surgical Technology
- Comparative Anatomy
Background:
- Accurate peripheral nerve identification is vital for surgery and regional anesthesia.
- Optical tissue identification methods offer promise for non-invasive nerve localization.
- Validation of these optical techniques necessitates comprehensive datasets, often requiring alternative models to human subjects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To structurally and optically compare nerve and surrounding tissues in human (in vivo and post mortem) and swine (in vivo and post mortem) models.
- To evaluate the suitability of swine as an alternative model for optimizing and validating optical nerve identification techniques.
- To identify key differences and similarities in tissue optical properties between species and conditions.
Main Methods:
- Comparative observational study involving macroscopic, histological, and spectroscopic analysis.
- Acquisition of diffuse reflective spectra (400-1,600 nm) from nerve and adjacent tissues.
- Application of an analytical model to quantify optical parameters like absorber concentrations.
Main Results:
- Histological analysis revealed similarities in nerve and adipose tissue between human and swine, though human muscle composition differed.
- Optical parameters, including beta-carotene, water, fat, and oxygen saturation, showed model-dependent variations.
- Despite differences, optical parameters exhibited strong positive correlations across models, indicating sufficient similarity for cross-model classification.
Conclusions:
- This study highlights significant similarities and differences in nerve and surrounding tissues between human and swine models.
- The findings support the potential use of swine as a viable alternative model for developing and validating optical techniques for clinical nerve identification.
- Understanding these inter-model variations is crucial for accurate application of optical methods in surgical and anesthetic procedures.
