In Vivo Assessment and Monitoring of Burn Wounds Using a Handheld Terahertz Hyperspectral Scanner

Abstract

The accuracy of clinical assessment techniques in diagnosing partial‐thickness burn injuries has remained as low as 50–76%. Depending on the burn depth and environmental factors in the wound, such as reactive oxygen species, inflammation, and autophagy, partial‐thickness burns can heal spontaneously or require surgical intervention. Herein, it is demonstrated that terahertz time‐domain spectral imaging (THz‐TDSI) is a promising tool for in vivo quantitative assessment and monitoring of partial‐thickness burn injuries in large animals. We used a novel handheld THz‐TDSI scanner to characterize burn injuries in a porcine scald model with histopathological controls. Statistical analysis (n = 40) indicates that the THz‐TDSI modality can accurately differentiate between partial‐thickness and full‐thickness burn injuries (1‐way ANOVA, p < 0.05). THz‐TDSI has the potential to improve burn care outcomes by helping surgeons in making objective decisions for early excision of the wound.

Keywords

• burn imaging
• handheld THz-TDS scanner
• histology
• partial-thickness burn characterization
• skin tissue hyperspectral imaging
• terahertz time-domain spectroscopy