Dynamic assessment of the upper extremity: a review of available and emerging technologies.

The purpose of this review article is to provide an update on the realm of emerging technology available for the assessment of dynamic functional movement of the hand and upper limb. A critical overview of the literature and a conceptual framework for use of such technologies is proposed. The framework explores three broad purpose categories including customization of care, functional surveillance and interventions through biofeedback strategies. State-of-the-art technologies are described, from basic activity monitors to feedback-enabled robotic gloves, along with exemplar trials and clinical applications. The future of technologies innovation in hand pathology is proposed in the context of the current obstacles and opportunities for hand surgeons and therapists.

Assessment of image quality in photon-counting detector computed tomography of the wrist - An ex vivo study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of reconstruction parameters on image quality in wrist imaging using photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) and to compare the results with images from an energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT). METHODS: Twelve cadaveric wrist specimens were examined using a prototype PCD-CT and a clinical EID-CT using similar radiation dose. Reconstruction parameters were matched between scanners. Also, sharper reconstruction kernels, a larger matrix size, and smaller slice thicknesses were evaluated for PCD-CT. Image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image sharpness in trabecular structures were quantitatively measured. Image quality with respect to the visibility of cortical and trabecular bone structures was assessed by six radiologists using visual grading methods. RESULTS: Images obtained with PCD-CT had lower noise (42.6 ± 3.9 HU vs 75.1 ± 6.3 HU), higher CNR (38.9 ± 4.5 vs 19.0 ± 2.4) and higher trabecular sharpness (63.5 ± 6.0 vs 53.7 ± 8.5) than those obtained with EID-CT using similar scan and reconstruction parameters (p < 0.001). The image sharpness in trabecular structures was further improved by using sharper kernels, despite higher noise levels. Radiologists had a strong preference for PCD-CT images both in terms of spatial resolution and suitability for bone imaging. Visual grading analysis showed an improved visibility of cortical bone, trabeculae and nutritive canals (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: PCD-CT offers improved image quality regarding bone structures in the wrist relative to EID-CT systems, particularly when sharper reconstruction kernels, smaller slice thickness and a larger image matrix size are used.

Objective assessment of skin microcirculation using a smartphone camera.

BACKGROUND: Existing techniques for assessment of microcirculation are limited by their large size and high costs and are often not so easy to use. Advances in mobile technology have enabled great improvements in smartphone sensor technology. In this study, we used SkinSight, an app for iPhone and iPad, to measure changes in skin microcirculation during physiological provocations. The system estimates changes in the concentration of hemoglobin in the skin by analyzing the reflected light emitted from the built-in light-emitting diode and detected by the camera of the smartphone. METHODS: A relative hemoglobin (Hb) index was measured during a 5-min arterial occlusion, post-occlusive reactive hyperemia, and a 5-min venous occlusion in 10 healthy subjects, on two separate days. The index was calculated in an area of the skin from the color information in the images acquired by the phone camera. Polarized light spectroscopy imaging was used to measure changes in red blood cell concentration for comparison. RESULTS: During arterial occlusion, relative Hb index was unchanged compared to baseline (P = .40). After release of the cuff, a sudden 60%-75% increase in Hb index was observed (P < .001) followed by a gradual return to baseline. During venous occlusion, Hb index increased by 80% (P < .001) followed by a gradual decrease to baseline after reperfusion. Day-to-day reproducibility of the relative Hb index was excellent (ICC: 0.92, r = 0.94), although relative Hb index was consistently higher during the second day, possibly as a result of changed lighting conditions or calibration issues. CONCLUSION: Microvascular responses to physiological provocations in the skin can be accurately and reproducibly measured using a smartphone application. Although the system offers a handheld, easy to use and flexible technique for skin microvascular assessment, the effects of lighting on the measured values and need for calibration need to be further investigated.

Using blood flow pulsatility to improve the accuracy of laser speckle contrast imaging in the assessment of burns.

OBJECTIVES: Measurement of perfusion is an established method to evaluate the depth of burns. However, high accuracy is only achievable >48 h after injury. The aim of the study was to investigate if measurement of blood flow pulsatility, combined with perfusion measurement, can improve early assessment of burn depth using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). METHODS: Perfusion and pulsatility were measured with LSCI in 187 regions of interest in 32 patients, between 0 and 5 days after injury. The reproducibility of pulsatility was tested for recording durations between 1 and 12 s. The most reproducible duration was chosen, and receiver operator characteristics were created to find suitable pulsatility cut-offs to predict surgical need. RESULTS: A measurement duration of 8 s resulted in a good reproducibility of the pulsatility (%CV: 15.9%). Longer measurement durations resulted in a small improvement of the accuracy of the assessment. A pulsatility of <1.45 (Perfusion Units)2 on day 0-2 after injury predicted surgical need with a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 83.2-100%), specificity of 100% (95% CI: 95.2-100%), a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 100%. Pulsatility was not significantly different when comparing measurements done day 0-2 to day 3-5. Perfusion was however significantly higher day 3-5 compared to day 0-2 for wounds healing within 3 weeks. CONCLUSION: Measurement of pulsatility improves the accuracy of the assessment of burns with LSCI and makes it possible to predict the need for surgery during day 0-2 after injury with a high accuracy.

Assessment of oxygenation with polarized light spectroscopy enables new means for detecting vascular events in the skin.

INTRODUCTION: Impaired oxygenation in the skin may occur in disease states and after reconstructive surgery. We used tissue viability imaging (TiVi) to measure changes in oxygenation and deoxygenation of haemoglobin in an in vitro model and in the dermal microcirculation of healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oxygenation was measured in human whole blood with different levels of oxygenation. In healthy subjects, changes in red blood cell concentration (CRBC,TiVi), oxygenation (ΔCOH,TiVi) and deoxygenation (ΔCDOH,TiVi) of haemoglobin were measured during and after arterial and venous occlusion using TiVi and were compared with measurements from the enhanced perfusion and oxygen saturation system (EPOS). RESULTS: During arterial occlusion, CRBC,TiVi remained unchanged while ΔCOH,TiVi decreased to -44.2 (10.4) AU (p = 0.04), as compared to baseline. After release, CRBC,TiVi increased to 39.2 (18.8) AU (p < 0.001), ΔCOH,TiVi increased to 38.5. During venous occlusion, CRBC,TiVi increased to 28.9 (11.2) AU (p < 0.001), ΔCOH,TiVi decreased to -52.2 (46.1) AU (p < 0.001) compared to baseline after 5 min of venous occlusion. There was a significant correlation between the TiVi Oxygen Mapper and EPOS, for arterial (r = 0.92, p < 0.001) and venous occlusion (r = 0.87, p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study shows that TiVi can measure trends in oxygenation and deoxygenation of haemoglobin during arterial and venous stasis in healthy individuals.

Interobserver reliability of laser speckle contrast imaging in the assessment of burns.

OBJECTIVES: Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is an emerging technique for the assessment of burns in humans and interobserver differences have not been studied. The aim of this study was to compare assessments of perfusion images by different professional groups regarding (i) perfusion values and (ii) burn depth assessment. METHODS: Twelve observers without LSCI experience were included. The observers were evenly recruited from three professional groups: plastic surgeons with experience in assessing burns, nurses with experience in treating burns, and junior doctors with limited experience of burns. Ten cases were included. Each case consisted of one digital photo of the burn with a pre-marked region of interest (ROI) and two unmarked perfusion images of the same area. The first and the second perfusion image was from 24h and 72-96h after injury, respectively. The perfusion values from both perfusion images were used to generate a LSCI recommendation based on the perfusion trend (the derivative between the two perfusion values). As a last step, each observer was asked to estimate the burn depth using their clinical experience and all available information. Intraclass correlation (ICC) was calculated between the different professional groups and among all observers. RESULTS: Perfusion values and perfusion trends between all observers had an ICC of 0.96 (95% CI 0.91-0.99). Burn depth assessment by all observers yielded an ICC of 0.53 (95% CI: 0.31-0.80) and an accuracy of 0.53 (weighted kappa). LSCI recommendations generated by all observers had an ICC of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.90-0.99). CONCLUSION: Observers can reliably identify the same ROI, which results in observer-independent perfusion measurements, irrespective of burn experience. Extensive burn experience did not further improve burn depth assessment. The LSCI recommendation was more accurate in all professional groups. Introducing LSCI measurements would be likely improve early assessment of burns.

Laser speckle contrast imaging in children with scalds: Its influence on timing of intervention, duration of healing and care, and costs.

BACKGROUND: Scalds are the most common type of burn injury in children, and the initial evaluation of burn depth is a problem. Early identification of deep dermal areas that need excision and grafting would save unnecessary visits and stays in hospital. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) shows promise for the evaluation of this type of burn. The aim of this study was to find out whether perfusion measured with LSCI has an influence on the decision for operation, duration of healing and care period, and costs, in children with scalds. METHODS: We studied a group of children with scalds whose wounds were evaluated with LSCI on day 3-4 after injury during the period 2012-2015. Regression (adjustment for percentage total body surface area burned (TBSA%), age, and sex) was used to analyse the significance of associations between degree of perfusion and clinical outcome. RESULTS: We studied 33 children with a mean TBSA% of 6.0 (95% CI 4.4-7.7)%. Lower perfusion values were associated with operation (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve 0.86, 95% CI 0.73-1.00). The perfusion cut-off with 100% specificity for not undergoing an operation was ≥191 PU units (66.7% sensitivity and 72.7% accurately classified). Multivariable analyses showed that perfusion was independently associated with duration of healing and care period. CONCLUSION: Lower perfusion values, as measured with LSCI, are associated with longer healing time and longer care period. By earlier identification of burns that will be operated, perfusion measurements may further decrease the duration of care of burns in children with scalds.

Accuracy of laser speckle contrast imaging in the assessment of pediatric scald wounds.

BACKGROUND: Changes in microvascular perfusion in scalds in children during the first four days, measured with laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), are related to the time to healing and need for surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of LSCI on different days after injury in the prediction of healing outcome and if the accuracy can be improved by combining an early and a late measurement. Also, the accuracy of LSCI was compared with that of clinical assessment. METHODS: Perfusion was measured between 0-24h and between 72-96h using LSCI in 45 children with scalds. On the same occasions, burn surgeons assessed the burns as healing <14days or healing >14days/surgery. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for the early and late measurement and for the double measurement (DM) using two different methods. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity were 92.3% (95% CI: 64.0-99.8%) and 78.3% (95% CI: 69.9-85.3%) between 0-24h, 100% (95% CI: 84.6-100%) and 90.4% (95% CI: 83.8-94.9%) between 72-96h, and was 100% (95% CI: 59.0-100%) and 100% (95% CI: 95.1-100%) when combining the two measurements into a modified perfusion trend. Clinical assessment had an accuracy of 67%, Cohen's κ=0.23. CONCLUSION: The perfusion in scalds between 72-96h after injury, as measured using LSCI, is highly predictive of healing outcome in scalds when measured. The predictive value can be further improved by incorporating an early perfusion measurement within 24h after injury.

Assessment of microcirculation of the skin using Tissue Viability Imaging: A promising technique for detecting venous stasis in the skin.

BACKGROUND: Venous occlusion in the skin is difficult to detect by existing measurement techniques. Our aim was to find out whether Tissue Viability Imaging (TiVi) was better at detecting venous occlusion by comparing it with results of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) during graded arterial and venous stasis in human forearm skin. METHODS: Arterial and venous occlusions were simulated in 10 healthy volunteers by inflating a blood pressure cuff around the upper right arm. Changes in the concentration of red blood cells (RBC) were measured using TiVi, while skin perfusion and concentration of moving red blood cells (CMBC) were measured using static indices of LDF during exsanguination and subsequent arterial occlusion, postocclusive reactive hyperaemia, and graded increasing and decreasing venous stasis. RESULTS: During arterial occlusion there was a significant reduction in the mean concentration of RBC from baseline, as well as in perfusion and CMBC (p<0.008). Venous occlusion resulted in a significant 28% increase in the concentration of RBC (p=0.002), but no significant change in perfusion (mean change -14%) while CMBC decreased significantly by 24% (p=0.02). With stepwise increasing occlusion pressures there was a significant rise in the TiVi index and reduction in perfusion (p=0.008), while the reverse was seen when venous flow was gradually restored. CONCLUSION: The concentration of RBC measured with TiVi changes rapidly and consistently during both total and partial arterial and venous occlusions, while the changes in perfusion, measured by LDF, were less consistent. This suggests that TiVi could be a more useful, non-invasive clinical monitoring tool for detecting venous stasis in the skin than LDF.

Assessment of blood flow changes in human skin by microdialysis urea clearance.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the urea clearance technique for the measurement of drug-induced blood flow changes in human skin and compare it to two non-invasive techniques: polarization light spectroscopy and laser Doppler perfusion imaging. METHODS: Fifteen microdialysis catheters were placed intracutaneously on the volar aspect of the forearms of healthy human subjects and were perfused with nitroglycerine, noradrenaline, and again nitroglycerine to induce local tissue hyperemia, hypoperfusion, and hyperemia, respectively. RESULTS: Urea clearance, but not the other techniques, detected the changes in blood flow during changes in flow. The last hyperemic response was detected by all three methods. CONCLUSION: Urea clearance can be used as a relatively simple method to estimate blood flow changes during microdialysis of vasoactive substances, in particular when the tissue is preconditioned in order to enhance the contrast between baseline and the responses to the provocations. Our results support that, in the model described, urea clearance was superior to the optical methods as it detected both the increases and decrease in blood flow, and the returns to baseline between these periods.

Continuous assessment of concentrations of cytokines in experimental injuries of the extremity.

Background. Inflammation plays an important part in the healing process. Little is known about the extent local inflammatory trauma response interacts with the central circulation and inflammation produced by central organs. The aim of the present study was to examine whether high cut-off microdialysis catheters offer potential to in real time assess interstitial cytokines variations in conjunction to markers of metabolism distal to a blunt vascular contusion. Methods. In a standardised contusion trauma model, microdialysis catheters (high MW (100kDa)) were inserted in the gracilis muscle distal to the trauma for the local assessment of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, total protein and the metabolic mediators (glycerol, puruvate and lactate). The contra lateral uninjured leg served as control of the centrally mediated inflammation propagated to the extremities. Results. The trauma led to a significant and quantitatively large (8-10 fold) increase in inflammatory cytokines (IL6 and 8) as measured both in the injured and control legs. There was only a minor, and not significant increase in concentrations of cytokines in the injured leg compared to the control leg.. There were no signs of ischemia in either leg. Conclusion. The new finding in this study is that both central, and local, inflammatory responses as well as metabolic mediators may be assessed continuously in skeletal muscle tissue distal to a major injury in an animal model. The findings suggest that the large trauma elicits a generalised inflammatory response to trauma rather than propagating a local one distal to the trauma.