Laser Doppler flowmetry imaging

A laser Doppler perfusion imager has been developed that makes possible mapping of tissue blood flow over surfaces with extensions up to about 12 cm X 12 cm. The He-Ne laser beam scans the tissue under study throughout 4096 measurement sites. A fraction of the backscattered and Doppler broadened light is detected by a photo diode positioned about 20 cm above the tissue surface. After processing, a signal that scales linearly with perfusion is stored in a computer and a color coded image of the spatial tissue perfusion is shown on a monitor. A full format scan is completed in about 4.5 minutes. Algorithms for calculating perfusion profiles and averages as well as substraction of one image from another, form an integral part of the system data analysis software. The perfusion images can also be exported to other software packages for further processing and analysis.