ANALYSIS OF TISSUE OXYGENATION IN CHRONIC LEG ULCERS BY COMBINATION OF A MULTI-SPECTRAL CAMERA AND A HYPER-SPECTRAL PROBE.

Objective evaluation of chronic wounds, such as leg ulcers, by the use of non-invasive techniques is of importance for diagnosis, monitoring treatment response, and probably leads to improved treatment strategies. We performed a feasibility study for the combined use of a multi-spectral camera and a hyper-spectral probe to evaluate chronic leg ulcers with a focus on tissue oxygenation. Sixty patients - 40 females and 20 males were enrolled in the study. The age range was 46 to 85 years for males (mean 65.8 years, median 73.0 years) and 51 to 91 years for females (mean 74.4 years, median 77.0 years). Measurements were performed by hyper-spectral wound (HySkinII) probe and multi-spectral (DeMuk) camera on wounds and surrounding skin. The investigation results demonstrate a high variability of oxygenation within ulcers and the surrounding tissue. The methods allow an investigator to independently assess of tissue oxygenation in superficial and deeper layers. Non-invasive multi- and hyper-spectral imaging techniques offer new opportunities of an objective assessment of chronic wounds.