Post-Surgical Non-Invasive Wound Healing Monitoring in Oropharyngeal Mucosa

Postoperative bleeding is the most significant complication of tonsillectomy. Regular monitoring of post-surgical wound healing in the pharynx is required. For this purpose, we propose endoscope-based non-invasive perfusion mapping and quantification. The combination of imaging photoplethysmography and image processing provides automated wound area selection and microcirculation characterization. In this feasibility study, we demonstrate the first results of the proposed approach to wound monitoring in clinical trial on eight patients after tonsillectomy. Combination of probe-based optical system and image processing algorithms can provide the valuable and consistent data on perfusion distribution. The quantitative microcirculation data obtained 1, 4, and 7 days after surgery are in good agreement with existing monitoring protocols.