Multispectral snapshot imaging of skin microcirculatory hemoglobin oxygen saturation using artificial neural networks trained on in vivo data.

SIGNIFICANCE: Developing algorithms for estimating blood oxygenation from snapshot multispectral imaging (MSI) data is challenging due to the complexity of sensor characteristics and photon transport modeling in tissue. We circumvent this using a method where artificial neural networks (ANNs) are trained on in vivo MSI data with target values from a point-measuring reference method. AIM: To develop and evaluate a methodology where a snapshot filter mosaic camera is utilized for imaging skin hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO2), using ANNs. APPROACH: MSI data were acquired during occlusion provocations. ANNs were trained to estimate SO2 with MSI data as input, targeting data from a validated probe-based reference system. Performance of ANNs with different properties and training data sets was compared. RESULTS: The method enables spatially resolved estimation of skin tissue SO2. Results are comparable to those acquired using a Monte-Carlo-based approach when relevant training data are used. CONCLUSIONS: Training an ANN on in vivo MSI data covering a wide range of target values acquired during an occlusion protocol enable real-time estimation of SO2 maps. Data from the probe-based reference system can be used as target despite differences in sampling depth and measurement position.

Spectral characterization of liquid hemoglobin phantoms with varying oxygenation states.

SIGNIFICANCE: For optical methods to accurately assess hemoglobin oxygen saturation in vivo, an independently verifiable tissue-like standard is required for validation. For this purpose, we propose three hemoglobin preparations and evaluate methods to characterize them. AIM: To spectrally characterize three different hemoglobin preparations using multiple spectroscopic methods and to compare their absorption spectra to commonly used reference spectra. APPROACH: Absorption spectra of three hemoglobin preparations in solution were characterized using spectroscopic collimated transmission: whole blood, lysed blood, and ferrous-stabilized hemoglobin. Tissue-mimicking phantoms composed of Intralipid, and the hemoglobin solutions were characterized using spatial frequency-domain spectroscopy (SFDS) and enhanced perfusion and oxygen saturation (EPOS) techniques while using yeast to deplete oxygen. RESULTS: All hemoglobin preparations exhibited similar absorption spectra when accounting for methemoglobin and scattering in their oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin forms, respectively. However, systematic differences were observed in the fitting depending on the reference spectra used. For the tissue-mimicking phantoms, SFDS measurements at the surface of the phantom were affected by oxygen diffusion at the interface with air, associated with higher values than for the EPOS system. CONCLUSIONS: We show the validity of different blood phantoms and what considerations need to be addressed in each case to utilize them equivalently.

Estimation of skin microcirculatory hemoglobin oxygen saturation and red blood cell tissue fraction using a multispectral snapshot imaging system: a validation study.

SIGNIFICANCE: Hemoglobin oxygen saturation and red blood cell (RBC) tissue fraction are important parameters when assessing microvascular status. Functional information can be attained using temporally resolved measurements performed during stimulus-response protocols. Pointwise assessments can currently be conducted with probe-based systems. However, snapshot multispectral imaging (MSI) can be used for spatial-temporal measurements. AIM: To validate if hemoglobin oxygen saturation and RBC tissue fraction can be quantified using a snapshot MSI system and an inverse Monte Carlo algorithm. APPROACH: Skin tissue measurements from the MSI system were compared to those from a validated probe-based system during arterial and venous occlusion provocation on 24 subjects in the wavelength interval 450 to 650 nm, to evaluate a wide range of hemoglobin oxygen saturation and RBC tissue fraction levels. RESULTS: Arterial occlusion results show a mean linear regression R2 = 0.958 for hemoglobin oxygen saturation. Comparing relative RBC tissue fraction during venous occlusion results in R2 = 0.925. The MSI system shows larger dynamic changes than the reference system, which might be explained by a deeper sampling including more capacitance vessels. CONCLUSIONS: The snapshot MSI system estimates hemoglobin oxygen saturation and RBC tissue fraction in skin microcirculation showing a high correlation (R2 > 0.9 in most subjects) with those measured by the reference method.

Noninvasive assessments of oxygen delivery from the microcirculation to skin in hypothermia-treated asphyxiated newborn infants.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has become standard treatment for severe and moderate hypoxic-ischemic neonatal encephalopathy (HIE). Our group has developed an optically based, noninvasive concept of assessing the capacity for oxygen delivery from the microcirculation to the cells of a tissue under investigation. The hypothesis was that mechanisms of reduced oxygen delivery due to reduced metabolism in cooled asphyxiated neonates could be characterized with this concept. METHODS: The skin of 28 asphyxiated newborn infants was studied on days 1 and 3 during TH and on day 4 following rewarming with laser Doppler perfusion measurements (LDPM), computer-assisted video microscopy (CAVM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Twenty-five healthy neonates served as a control group. RESULTS: The LDPM decreased during cooling (P < 0.01). Functional capillary density was higher both during and following TH compared with control infants (P < 0.01). Capillary flow velocities were reduced during TH (P < 0.05). The heterogeneity of the flow velocities was larger in the HIE infants than in the control infants. Tissue oxygen extraction was higher during TH (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that assessments of skin microvascular density, capillary flow velocity, and oxygen extraction can be used to characterize reduced oxygen delivery to cells during TH.

Analysis of ECG-trunk muscle signal amplitude and heart rate relationship.

The objective of this paper is to investigate if bioelectrical signals, generated from trunk muscles identified in an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal presented in this paper as ECG-Trunk Muscles Signals amplitude (Ecg-TMSA) are correlated with Heart rate (HR) during different levels of physical activity and also if Ecg-TMSA is not influenced by mental activity. HR and Ecg-TMSA were derived from ECG in 14 subjects when walking and jogging at different treadmill velocities from 4-10 (km h(-1)). The mean relationship for all 14 subjects was HR = (42.3 ± 0.2) + (45.3 ± 2.8) Ecg-TMSA, r(2 )= 0.91. The result of one individual data points example for a 21 min experiment was (r(2 )= 0.93, p < 0.0001, n = 336). The obtained results show a linear relationship between Ecg-TMSA and HR. Moreover, the Ecg-TMSA was not affected by mental activity.

A diffuse reflectance spectroscopic study of UV-induced erythematous reaction across well-defined borders in human skin.

INTRODUCTION: The colour of tissue is often of clinical use in the diagnosis of tissue homeostasis and physiological responses to various stimuli. Determining tissue colour changes and borders, however, often poses an intricate problem and visual examination, constituting clinical praxis, does not allow them to be objectively characterized or quantified. Demands for increased inter- and intra-observer reproducibility have been incentives for the introduction of objective methods and techniques for tissue colour (e.g. erythema) evaluation. The aim of the present paper was to study the border zone of a UVB-provoked erythematous response of human skin in terms of blood volume and oxygenation measured by means of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using a commercial probe. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A provocation model, based on partial masking of irradiated skin areas, defines two erythema edges at every skin site responding to the UV irradiation. In every subject, five test sites were exposed with a constant UV light irradiance (14 mW/cm(2)), but with different exposure times (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 s). An analysis of the spectral data measured across the two edges was performed for every scan line. The oxygenized and deoxygenized haemoglobin contents were estimated in every measurement point, using a modified Beer-Lambert model. RESULTS: The fit of the experimental data to the model derived by the modified Beer-Lambert law was excellent (R(2)>0.95). Analysing data for the chromophore content showed that the erythematous response in the provoked areas is dominated by the increase in oxyhaemoglobin. The widths for the left and right border zone were estimated to be 1.81+/-0.93 and 1.90+/-0.88 mm, respectively (mean+/-SD). The unprovoked area between the two edges was estimated to be 0.77+/-0.68 mm. CONCLUSION: While the chosen data analysis performed satisfactorily, the ability of the probe design to differentiate the spatial aspects of a reaction with abrupt borders was found to be suboptimal resulting in a probable overestimation of the erythematous edge slope. Probe modification or imaging techniques are possible solutions.

Myocardial tissue oxygenation estimated with calibrated diffuse reflectance spectroscopy during coronary artery bypass grafting.

We present a study using a method able to assess tissue oxygenation, taking into account the absorption and the level of scattering in myocardial tissue using a calibrated fiber optic probe. With this method, interindividual comparisons of oxygenation can be made despite varying tissue optical properties during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During CABG, there are needs for methods allowing continuous monitoring and prediction of the metabolism in the myocardial tissue. 14 patients undergoing CABG are investigated for tissue oxygenation during different surgical phases using a handheld fiber optic spectroscopic probe with a source-detector distance of less than 1 mm. The probe is calibrated using a light transport model, relating the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients (mu(a) and mu(s)') to the measured spectra. By solving the inverse problem, absolute measures of tissue oxygenation are evaluated by the sum of oxygenized hemoglobin and myoglobin. Agreement between the model and measurements is obtained with an average correlation coefficient R2 of 0.96. Oxygenation is found to be significantly elevated after aorta cross-clamping and cardioplegic infusion, as well as after reperfusion, compared to a baseline (p<0.05). Tissue oxygenation decreases during cardiac arrest and increases after reperfusion.

The prostaglandin E1 analog misoprostol reduces symptoms and microvascular arteriovenous shunting in erythromelalgia-a double-blind, crossover, placebo-compared study.

Based on previous experience with parenteral prostanoids, we studied the effect of misoprostol treatment, an orally administered prostaglandin E1 analog, in patients with erythromelalgia. Treatment with placebo was followed by treatment with misoprostol (0.4-0.8 mg per d), both for 6 wk. The patients (n=21) and a study nurse who administered the trial were blinded. The endpoints were change in pain and need for cooling and global assessment of the treatment. Following central body heat provocation, global skin perfusion, capillary morphology, and change in pain were also recorded before and after each treatment period. Results were compared with data from healthy control subjects (n=11) that did not undergo treatment. Clinical safety and tolerability evaluation included physical examinations, clinical laboratory tests, and monitoring of adverse events. All clinical outcome measures were significantly better after treatment with misoprostol (p<0.01) as compared with placebo treatment and after a 3- mo follow-up without treatment. The heat-induced increase in global perfusion after misoprostol treatment was similar to the control group and significantly lower when compared with baseline (p<0.01) and placebo treatment (p<0.05), respectively. This study demonstrates that misoprostol is clinically superior to placebo in patients with erythromelalgia. The results of the perfusion studies may imply that the mechanism of action of the beneficial effect of misoprostol is reduced microvascular arteriovenous shunting in affected skin.

Reduced skin capillary density during attacks of erythromelalgia implies arteriovenous shunting as pathogenetic mechanism.

Erythromelalgia is characterized by burning pain, erythema, and increased temperature in acral skin. The pain is aggravated by warming and relieved by cooling. Increased microvascular arteriovenous shunting in deep dermal plexa has been hypothesized as the pathogenetic mechanism of pain in affected skin, inducing hypoxia during pain attacks. The aim of this study was to quantify skin capillary density in erythromelalgic patients before and after heat provocation, as increased skin temperature should increase the need for nutritive blood supply by the capillaries. Fourteen patients and 10 healthy control subjects were studied using an enhanced technique of computer-assisted analysis of capillary bed morphology and temperature measurements before and after central body heating. The increase in acral skin temperature was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the eight patients where symptoms were induced after heat provocation, compared to asymptomatic patients and healthy control subjects. The number of visible capillaries in a field of view (1.7 mm2) decreased significantly (p = 0.01) in erythromelalgia patients from 105 (62-137) (median with total range) to 89 (49-118) after warming in areas with numerous arteriovenous anastomoses (nail bed region). In symptomatic patients an even more significant reduction was observed (p = 0.01). The capillary size was also significantly reduced (p < 0.05) from 41.0 (31.5-50.5) (arbitrary units) to 37.3 (33.0-46.0) in symptomatic patients. The change in capillary density in the nail bed area was significantly larger in erythromelalgia patients -17 (-49 to 39) compared to controls 0 (-47 to 13) (p < 0.05), and in symptomatic patients -19 (-49 to -12) compared to asymptomatic patients -8 (-48 to 39) (p < 0.05) and controls (p < 0.01). The reduced skin capillary density after heating is compatible with increased microvascular arteriovenous shunting of blood and a corresponding relative deficit in nutritive perfusion (steal phenomenon) with skin hypoxia, causing the symptoms in erythromelalgia.

Imaging, image processing and pattern analysis of skin capillary ensembles.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The capillary bed is recognized as the site where metabolic and nutrient processes occur for living tissues at all levels. The evaluation of this vital process is a major concern in microcirculation. Unlike traditional approaches that concentrated on the extreme local properties of this process, a more global analysis toward capillary ensembles is employed here, since capillaries work as a cooperative entirety. As a first step toward ensemble analysis, the static and planar geometric parameters are investigated. Parameters such as the capillary adjacency and size information are very important in predicting and analysing certain malfunctions in the microvascular bed. METHODS/RESULTS: In order to achieve an objective and accurate analysis of these vital parameters, a computerized imaging system is proposed. Not only the number of capillaries and the capillary cross-sectional areas are important in describing the microvascular bed but the planar distribution pattern of the capillaries also carries valid information. This information, unique to the ensemble analysis, can be used to reveal, visualise and quantify the clustering of capillaries; and this information, according to the Krogh model, is fundamental in estimating the tissue oxygen supply. Two spatial models, the closest neighbor and triangulation methods, have been applied to the captured images of capillary ensembles. The closest neighbor technique generates a minimal distance map or displays a distribution, which depicts the local clustering of capillaries. The triangulation technique, on the other hand, generates a mutual distance map, which is a global description of the capillary positions. Triangulation methods have been evaluated but all except the Greedy triangulation method have been rejected due to lack of robustness and model weakness. Therefore, the capillaries are triangulated by the Greedy triangulation method, and the capillary distribution uniformity is defined as one minus the coefficient of variance of the edge lengths of the mutual distance map. CONCLUSIONS: A series of advanced image processing methods have been developed that efficiently extract the capillary position, size and distribution information from the images. These results facilitate the automatic counting of capillaries and the capillary size-related pathological analysis.