A recently developed modality for blood flow measurement holds high promise in the management of bleeding ulcers. Color Doppler optical coherence tomography (CDOCT) uses low- coherence interferometry and digital signal processing to obtain precise localization of tissue microstructure simultaneous with bi-directional quantitation of blood flow. We discuss CDOCT as a diagnostic tool in the management of bleeding gastrointestinal lesions. Common treatments for bleeding ulcers include local injection of a vasoconstrictor, coagulation of blood via thermal contact or laser treatment, and necrosis of surrounding tissue with a sclerosant. We implemented these procedures in a rat dorsal skin flap model, and acquired CDOCT images before and after treatment. In these studies, CDOCT succeeded in identifying cessation of flow before it could be determined visually. Hence, we demonstrate the diagnostic capabilities of CDOCT in the regulation of bleeding in micron-scale vessels.

Date Published: 24 April 1998
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 3251, Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedical Science and Clinical Applications II, (24 April 1998); doi: 10.1117/12.306046

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3251:
Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedical Science and Clinical Applications II
Valery V. Tuchin; Joseph A. Izatt, Editor(s)