Skin Blood Flowmotion in Various Disease States: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Microcirculation Research
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Skin blood flowmotion (FM) involves spontaneous rhythmic changes in microvascular blood flow.
• These oscillations are influenced by physiological factors and analyzed via distinct frequency bands.
• Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) is a common technique for measuring and analyzing FM frequency components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of peer-reviewed studies on FM.
• To understand the physiological basis of FM.
• To explore the relevance of FM across various disease states.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of Embase, OVID, and Web of Science for studies using LDF to evaluate FM in disease states.
• Screening of titles and abstracts of English-language articles involving human subjects.
• Independent full-text review by two investigators, with a third reviewer resolving disagreements; exclusion of studies on healthy subjects or those not measuring FM.

Main Results:

• 41 studies were included, identifying several frequency bands in LDF recordings that reflect distinct regulatory mechanisms in disease states.
• Factors like sympathetic nerve activity, endothelial function, measurement site, and disease alter FM oscillatory patterns.
• FM reflects multiple layers of microvascular regulation, potentially aiding early disease recognition.

Conclusions:

• FM, analyzed through LDF, provides insights into microvascular regulation.
• Alterations in FM patterns may serve as indicators for early disease recognition.
• Further research with standardized measurement approaches is needed to clarify the clinical significance of FM.