Characterization of debrided burn wounds using spatial frequency domain imaging

Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) is a wide-field imaging technique that enables quantification of in vivo tissue optical properties. SFDI was employed to evaluate burn wounds in pigs where incomplete debridement resulted in skin graft failure. We observed increase in the magnitude of the reduced-scattering coefficient in the wound beds after debridement, prior to grafting in wounds that failed compared to the reduced scattering measured in the wound beds that did not fail. We anticipate that SFDI may be a useful means for determining appropriate debridement prior to grafting.