Physiological wound assessment from coregistered and segmented tissue hemoglobin maps

Area of Science:

• Biomedical optics
• Medical imaging
• Wound care technology

Background:

• Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) pose a significant clinical challenge.
• Monitoring tissue oxygenation is crucial for assessing DFU healing.
• Existing methods for monitoring DFU hemoglobin levels can be invasive or lack precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel handheld near-infrared optical scanner (NIROS) for mapping oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentration changes in DFUs.
• To develop and validate a coregistration and image segmentation method for overlaying hemoglobin data onto standard wound images.
• To explore the potential of this technique in predicting DFU healing trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Development of a handheld near-infrared optical scanner (NIROS).
• Implementation of a coregistration and image segmentation approach to integrate hemoglobin maps with white light ulcer images.
• Validation of the coregistration accuracy (achieving >97%).
• Application of the method to track hemoglobin changes in a healing DFU over several weeks.

Main Results:

• The coregistration and image segmentation approach demonstrated high accuracy (>97%).
• Hemoglobin concentration maps were successfully overlaid onto white light images of DFUs.
• Observed correlations between changes in hemoglobin concentration area maps and visual wound area suggest predictive potential for healing.
• The NIROS system enabled longitudinal monitoring of hemoglobin dynamics during DFU treatment.

Conclusions:

• The developed coregistration and image segmentation technique accurately integrates hemoglobin data into wound assessment.
• Handheld NIROS shows promise as a non-invasive tool for monitoring DFU hemoglobin levels.
• This imaging approach has the potential to predict wound healing outcomes in diabetic patients, aiding clinical decision-making.