Study uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) to monitor burn wound healing without any harm to patients.
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Wausau, WI (June 16, 2021) – There remains a need to objectively monitor burn wound healing within a clinical setting, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) is proving itself to be one of the ideal modalities for just such a use.
The OCT imaging of skin has proven to be non-invasive, fast, and cost-effective without causing any harm to patients. This study demonstrated that optical attenuation information derived from OCT imaging datasets can be utilized to facilitate the automatic segmentation of the epidermal layer and help improve our understanding of the pathological changes in acute burn injury. This can serve in the future as an objective indicator of tissue injury and subsequent repair.
This study, published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM), the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS), was selected as the June 2021 Editor’s Choice.
The study, led by Ruikang K. Wang, is titled “Application of OCT-Derived Attenuation Coefficient in Acute Burn-Damaged Skin.”
“This study is in direct response to the clinical need for objective monitoring of the healing of burn-wounds,” said Wang. “We sought to identify clinical biomarkers from OCT derived parameters that can improve clinical management and treatment planning for wounded patients.”
Dr. Wang is a professor of Bioengineering and of Ophthalmology and directs the Biophotonics and Imaging Laboratory at the University of Washington. He has been very active in the developments of OCT technology and its clinical translations over past the 25 years, for which he has published approximately 500 original papers covering topics of basic science, instrumentation, and clinical applications. He pioneered OCT angiography that is now widely used in clinical settings.
Editor’s Choice is an exclusive article published in LSM, the official journal of the ASLMS. View the complete manuscript.
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) is the largest multidisciplinary professional organization dedicated to the development and application of lasers and related technology for health care applications. ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide. ASLMS membership includes physicians, surgeons, nurses, and allied health professionals representing multiple specialties, physicists involved in product development, biomedical engineers, biologists, industry representatives and manufacturers. For more information, visit aslms.org.