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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. Funding: This research was financially supported by VINNOVA grants via the Swelife and MedTech4Health programs (Grant Nos. 2016-02211, 2017-01435, and 2019-01522) and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation’s Center for Molecular Medicine at Linköping University (WCMM).

Significance: Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is frequently used to assess oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration in living tissue. Methods solving the inverse problem may include time-consuming nonlinear optimization or artificial neural networks (ANN) determining the absorption coefficient one wavelength at a time. Aim: To present an ANN-based method that directly outputs the oxygen saturation and the hemoglobin concentration using the shape of the measured spectra as input. Approach: A probe-based DRS setup with dual source-detector separations in the visible wavelength range was used. ANNs were trained on spectra generated from a three-layer tissue model with oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration as target. Results: Modeled evaluation data with realistic measurement noise showed an absolute root-mean-square (RMS) deviation of 5.1% units for oxygen saturation estimation. The relative RMS deviation for hemoglobin concentration was 13%. This accuracy is at least twice as good as our previous nonlinear optimization method. On blood-intralipid phantoms, the RMS deviation from the oxygen saturation derived from partial oxygen pressure measurements was 5.3% and 1.6% in two separate measurement series. Results during brachial occlusion showed expected patterns. Conclusions: The presented method, directly assessing oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration, is fast, accurate, and robust to noise. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council [2014-6141]; Swedens innovation agency VINNOVA via the program MedTech4Health [2016-02211]; Swedens innovation agency VINNOVA via the program Swelife and MedTech4Health [2017-01435]

The PeriFlux 6000 EPOS system combines diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) for the assessment of oxygen saturation (expressed in percentage), red blood cell (RBC) tissue fraction (expressed as volume fraction, %RBC), and perfusion (%RBC × mm / s) in the microcirculation. It also allows the possibility of separating the perfusion into three speed regions (0 to 1, 1 to 10, and10 mm / s). We evaluate the speed-resolved perfusion components, i.e., the relative amount of perfusion within each speed region, using a blood-flow phantom. Human blood was pumped through microtubes with an inner diameter of 0.15 mm. Measured DRS and LDF spectra were compared to Monte Carlo-simulated spectra in an optimization routine, giving the best-fit parameters describing the measured spectra. The root-mean-square error for each of the three speed components (0 to 1, 1 to 10, and10 mm / s, respectively) when describing the blood-flow speed in the microtubes was 2.9%, 8.1%, and 7.7%. The presented results show that the system can accurately discriminate blood perfusion originating from different blood-flow speeds, which may enable improved measurement of healthy and dysfunctional microcirculatory flow.

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) enables video rate imaging of blood flow. However, its relation to tissue blood perfusion is nonlinear and depends strongly on exposure time. By contrast, the perfusion estimate from the slower laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) technique has a relationship to blood perfusion that is better understood. Multiexposure LSCI (MELSCI) enables a perfusion estimate closer to the actual perfusion than that using a single exposure time. We present and evaluate a method that utilizes contrasts from seven exposure times between 1 and 64 ms to calculate a perfusion estimate that resembles the perfusion estimate from LDF. The method is based on artificial neural networks (ANN) for fast and accurate processing of MELSCI contrasts to perfusion. The networks are trained using modeling of Doppler histograms and speckle contrasts from tissue models. The importance of accounting for noise is demonstrated. Results show that by using ANN, MELSCI data can be processed to LDF perfusion with high accuracy, with a correlation coefficient R = 1.000 for noise-free data, R = 0.993 when a moderate degree of noise is present, and R = 0.995 for in vivo data from an occlusion-release experiment.

We have determined in vivo optical scattering properties of normal human skin in 1734 subjects, mostly with fair skin type, within the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study. The measurements were performed with a noninvasive system, integrating spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and laser Doppler flowmetry. Data were analyzed with an inverse Monte Carlo algorithm, accounting for both scattering, geometrical, and absorbing properties of the tissue. The reduced scattering coefficient was found to decrease from 3.16 ± 0.72 to 1.13 ± 0.27 mm-1 (mean ± SD) in the 475- to 850-nm wavelength range. There was a negative correlation between the reduced scattering coefficient and age, and a significant difference between men and women in the reduced scattering coefficient as well as in the fraction of small scattering particles. This large study on tissue scattering with mean values and normal variation can serve as a reference when designing diagnostic techniques or when evaluating the effect of therapeutic optical systems.

Laser speckle-based techniques are frequently used to assess microcirculatory blood flow. Perfusion estimates are calculated either by analyzing the speckle fluctuations over time as in laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), or by analyzing the speckle contrast as in laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). The perfusion estimates depend on the amount of blood and its speed distribution. However, the perfusion estimates are commonly given in arbitrary units as they are nonlinear and depend on the magnitude and the spatial distribution of the optical properties in the tissue under investigation. We describe how the spatial confinement of blood to vessels, called the vessel packaging effect, can be modeled in LDF and LSCI, which affect the Doppler power spectra and speckle contrast, and the underlying bio-optical mechanisms for these effects. As an example, the perfusion estimate is reduced by 25% for LDF and often more than 50% for LSCI when blood is located in vessels with an average diameter of 40 μm, instead of being homogeneously distributed within the tissue. This significant effect can be compensated for only with knowledge of the average diameter of the vessels in the tissue.

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) both utilize the spatiotemporalproperties of laser speckle patterns to assess microcirculatory blood flow in tissue. Although the techniquesanalyze the speckle pattern differently, there is a close relationship between them. We present atheoretical overview describing how the LDF power spectrum and the LASCA contrast can be calculatedfrom each other, and how both these can be calculated from an optical Doppler spectrum containing variousdegrees of Doppler shifted light. The theoretical relationships are further demonstrated using time-resolvedspeckle simulations. A wide range of Monte Carlo simulated tissue models is then used to show how perfusionestimates for LDF and LASCA are affected by changes in blood concentration and speed distribution, as well asby geometrical and optical properties. We conclude that perfusion estimates from conventional single exposuretime LASCA are in general more sensitive to changes in optical and geometrical properties and are less accuratein the prediction of real perfusion changes, especially speed changes. Since there is a theoretical one-to-onerelationship between Doppler power spectrum and contrast, one can conclude that those drawbacks with theLASCA technique can be overcome using a multiple exposure time setup. Funding agencies: Swedish Research Council [2014-6141]; CENIIT research organization within Linkoping University [11.02]

The tissue fraction of red blood cells (RBCs) and their oxygenation and speed-resolved perfusion are estimated in absolute units by combining diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The DRS spectra (450 to 850 nm) are assessed at two source-detector separations (0.4 and 1.2 mm), allowing for a relative calibration routine, whereas LDF spectra are assessed at 1.2 mm in the same fiber-optic probe. Data are analyzed using nonlinear optimization in an inverse Monte Carlo technique by applying an adaptive multilayered tissue model based on geometrical, scattering, and absorbing properties, as well as RBC flow-speed information. Simulations of 250 tissue-like models including up to 2000 individual blood vessels were used to evaluate the method. The absolute root mean square (RMS) deviation between estimated and true oxygenation was 4.1 percentage units, whereas the relative RMS deviations for the RBC tissue fraction and perfusion were 19% and 23%, respectively. Examples of in vivo measurements on forearm and foot during common provocations are presented. The method offers several advantages such as simultaneous quantification of RBC tissue fraction and oxygenation and perfusion from the same, predictable, sampling volume. The perfusion estimate is speed resolved, absolute (% RBC×mm/s), and more accurate due to the combination with DRS.

When laser light illuminates a diffuse object, it produces a random interference effect known as a speckle pattern. If there is movement in the object, the speckles fluctuate in intensity. These fluctuations can provide infor- mation about the movement. A simple way of accessing this information is to image the speckle pattern with an exposure time longer than the shortest speckle fluctuation time scale—the fluctuations cause a blurring of the speckle, leading to a reduction in the local speckle contrast. Thus, velocity distributions are coded as speckle con- trast variations. The same information can be obtained by using the Doppler effect, but producing a two-dimen- sional Doppler map requires either scanning of the laser beam or imaging with a high-speed camera: laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) avoids the need to scan and can be performed with a normal CCD- or CMOS-camera. LSCI is used primarily to map flow systems, especially blood flow. The development of LSCI is reviewed and its lim- itations and problems are investigated. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) can be used for assessing the microcirculatory perfusion. However, conventional LDF (cLDF) gives only a relative perfusion estimate for an unknown measurement volume, with no information about the blood flow speed distribution. To overcome these limitations, a model-based analysis method for quantitative LDF (qLDF) is proposed. The method uses inverse Monte Carlo technique with an adaptive three-layer skin model. By analyzing the optimal model where measured and simulated LDF spectra detected at two different source-detector separations match, the absolute microcirculatory perfusion for a specified speed region in a predefined volume is determined. qLDF displayed errors12% when evaluated using simulations of physiologically relevant variations in the layer structure, in the optical properties of static tissue, and in blood absorption. Inhomogeneous models containing small blood vessels, hair, and sweat glands displayed errors5%. Evaluation models containing single larger blood vessels displayed significant errors but could be dismissed by residual analysis. In vivo measurements using local heat provocation displayed a higher perfusion increase with qLDF than cLDF, due to nonlinear effects in the latter. The qLDF showed that the perfusion increase occurred due to an increased amount of red blood cells with a speed1 mm∕s.

Intramyocardial oxygen transport was assessed during open-chest surgery in calves by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using a small intramuscular fiber-optic probe. The sum of hemo- and myoglobin tissue fraction and oxygen saturation, the tissue fraction and oxidation of cytochrome aa3, and the tissue fraction of methemoglobin were estimated using a calibrated empirical light transport model. Increasing the oxygen content in the inhaled gas, 21%-50%-100%, in five calves (group A) gave an increasing oxygen saturation of 19+/-4%, 24+/-5%, and 28+/-8% (p0.001, ANOVA repeated measures design) and mean tissue fractions of 1.6% (cytochrome aa3) and 1.1% (hemo- and myoglobin). Cardiac arrest in two calves gave an oxygen saturation lower than 5%. In two calves (group B), a left ventricular assistive device (LVAD pump) was implanted. Oxygen saturation in group B animals increased with LVAD pump speed (p0.001, ANOVA) and with oxygen content in inhaled gas (p0.001, ANOVA). The cytochrome aa3 oxidation level was above 96% in both group A and group B calves, including the two cases involving cardiac arrest. In conclusion, the estimated tissue fractions and oxygenation/oxidation levels of the myocardial chromophores during respiratory and hemodynamic provocations were in agreement with previously presented results, demonstrating the potential of the method.

An optical microvascular skin model, valid at 780 nm, was developed. The model consisted of six layers with individual optical properties, and variable thicknesses and blood concentrations at three different blood flow velocities. Monte Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the impact of various model parameters on the traditional Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) measures. A set of reference Doppler power spectra was generated by simulating 7,000 configurations, varying the thickness and blood concentrations. Simulated spectra, at two different source detector separations, were compared with in vivo recorded spectra, using a non-linear search algorithm for minimizing the deviation between simulated and measured spectra. The model was validated by inspecting the thickness and blood concentrations which generated the best fit. These four parameters followed a priori expectations for the measurement situations, and the simulated spectra agreed well with the measured spectra for both detector separations. Average estimated dermal blood concentration was 0.08% at rest and 0.63% during heat provocation (44°C) on the volar side of the forearm, and 1.2% at rest on the finger pulp. The model is crucial for developing a technique for velocity-resolved absolute LDF measurements with known sampling volume, and can also be useful for other bio-optical modalities. Ingemar Fredriksson, Marcus Larsson and Tomas Strömberg, Optical microcirculatory skin model: Assessed by Monte Carlo simulations paired with in vivo laser Doppler flowmetry, 2008, Journal of Biomedical Optics, (13), 1, 14015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.2854691. Copyright 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. This paper was published in Journal of Biomedical Optics and is made available as an electronic reprint with permission of SPIE. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.

Microvascular assessment would benefit from co-registration of blood flow and hemoglobin oxygenation dynamics during stimulus response tests. We used a fiber-optic probe for simultaneous recording of white light diffuse reflectance (DRS; 475-850 nm) and laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF; 780 nm) spectra at two source-detector distances (0.4 and 1.2 mm). An inverse Monte Carlo algorithm, based on a multiparameter three-layer adaptive skin model, was used for analyzing DRS data. LDF spectra were conventionally processed for perfusion. The system was evaluated on volar forearm recordings of 33 healthy subjects during a 5-min systolic occlusion protocol. The calibration scheme and the optimal adaptive skin model fitted DRS spectra at both distances within 10%. During occlusion, perfusion decreased within 5 s while oxygenation decreased slowly (mean time constant 61 s; dissociation of oxygen from hemoglobin). After occlusion release, perfusion and oxygenation increased within 3 s (inflow of oxygenized blood). The increased perfusion was due to increased blood tissue fraction and speed. The supranormal hemoglobin oxygenation indicates a blood flow in excess of metabolic demands. In conclusion, by integrating DRS and LDF in a fiber-optic probe, a powerful tool for assessment of blood flow and oxygenation in the same microvascular bed has been presented.

A method for the prediction of the average photon pathlength in turbid media has been developed. The method is based on spatially resolved diffuse reflectance with discrete source detector distances up to 2 mm. Light reflectance was simulated using a Monte Carlo technique with a one-layer model utilizing a wide range of optical properties, relevant to human skin. At a source detector separation of 2 mm, the pathlength can vary sixfold due to differences in optical properties. By applying various preprocessing and prediction techniques, the pathlength can be predicted with a root-mean-square error of approximately 5%. Estimation of the photon pathlength can be used, e.g., to remove the influence of optical properties on laser Doppler flowmetry perfusion readings, which are almost linearly related to the average photon pathlength.

Model based data analysis of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy data enables the estimation of optical and structural tissue parameters. The aim of this study was to present an inverse Monte Carlo method based on spectra from two source-detector distances (0.4 and 1.2 mm), using a multilayered tissue model. The tissue model variables include geometrical properties, light scattering properties, tissue chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin, oxygen saturation and average vessel diameter. The method utilizes a small set of presimulated Monte Carlo data for combinations of different levels of epidermal thickness and tissue scattering. The path length distributions in the different layers are stored and the effect of the other parameters is added in the post-processing. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations of tissue-like models containing discrete blood vessels, evaluating blood tissue fraction and oxygenation. It was also compared to a homogeneous model. The multilayer model performed better than the homogeneous model and all tissue parameters significantly improved spectral fitting. Recorded in vivo spectra were fitted well at both distances, which we previously found was not possible with a homogeneous model. No absolute intensity calibration is needed and the algorithm is fast enough for real-time processing.

The tissue microcirculation, as measured by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), comprises both capillary, arterial and venous blood flow. With the classical LDF approach, it has been impossible to differentiate between different vascular compartments. We suggest an alternative LDF algorithm that estimates at least three concentration measures of flowing red blood cells (RBCs), each associated with a predefined, physiologically relevant, absolute velocity in mm/s. As the RBC flow velocity depends on the dimension of the blood vessel, this approach might enable a microcirculatory flow differentiation. The LDF concentration estimates are derived by fitting predefined Monte Carlo simulated, single velocity, spectra to a measured, multiple velocity LDF spectrum. Validation measurements, using both single and double-tube flow phantoms perfused with a microsphere solution, showed that it is possible to estimate velocity and concentration changes, and to differentiate between flows with different velocities. The presented theory was also applied to RBC flow measurements. A Gegenbauer kernel phase function (αgk = 1:05; ggk = 0:93), with an anisotropy factor of 0.987 at 786 nm, was found suitable for modelling Doppler scattering by red blood cells diluted in physiological saline. The method was developed for low concentrations of RBCs, but can in theory be extended to cover multiple Doppler scattering. Copyright 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. This paper was published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, (11), 14024 and is made available as an electronic reprint with permission of SPIE. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. Marcus Larsson and Tomas Strömberg, Towards a velocity resolved microvascular blood flow measure by decomposition of the laser Doppler spectrum, 2006, Journal of Biomdeical Optics, (11), 14024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.2166378.

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) is based on the principle that a Doppler shift occurs when coherent light is scattered by a moving object, i.e. red blood cell (RBC). The magnitude of these frequency shifts affects the optical beating that occurs w hen shifted and non-shifted light is mixed. Based on the optical beating, an LDF perfusion measure is calculated. However, the measure is not only sensitive to the RBC velocity and concentration, but also to the photon path Jength in tissue and the scattering characteristics of the RBC. The Jatter two are both govemed by the optical properties (OP), attributes that differ both within and between individuals.The aim of this thesis was to evaluate how the RBC and tissue OP affect the LDF perfusion measure, and to propose methods that partly correct for these errors. Phantom measurements and Monte Carlo simulations showed that the LDF perfusion was significantly affected by variations in OP relevant to skin, especially when comparing individual readings. Simulations revealed that the variations in OP affected the LDF perfusion and the photon path length in a similar manner. This suggests that a path length normalised measure would decrease the OP induced variations, possibly enabling accurate intra and inter-individual comparisons of LDF perfusion measures in different organs.A path length estimation technique, based on spatially diffuse reflectance, is proposed and evaluated. Monte Carlo simulations showed that the algorithm predicted the photon path length with an rms error of less than 5%. In vivo measurement (11 subjects) displayed a longer estimated path length (~35%) for the fingertip compared to the forearm. Comparing individual measurements from similar locations, variations up to 40% (max/min) were found. These findings clearly indicate the need for a path length normalization when comparing LDF readings.The LDF Doppler spectrum is govemed by the RBC velocity distribution and its phase function. In this thesis, an approach is presented where a measured LDF Doppler spectrum is decomposed using a number of theoretical, single-velocity spectra. As a result, a velocity-resolved perfusion measure is achieved. As the blood flow velocity depends on the dimension of the blood vessel, this approach has the potential to differentiate between arteriole/ venule and capillary activity. In addition, the path length estimation technique and the RBC scattering theory, presented in this thesis, provides a promising step towards an absolute perfusion measure.