Real-time laser speckle contrast imaging for intraoperative neurovascular blood flow assessment: animal experimental study

Abstract

The use of various blood flow control methods in neurovascular interventions is crucial for reducing postoperative complications. Neurosurgeons worldwide use different methods, such as contact Dopplerography, intraoperative indocyanine videoangiography (ICG) video angiography, fluorescein angiography, flowmetry, intraoperative angiography, and direct angiography. However, there is no noninvasive method that can assess the presence of blood flow in the vessels of the brain without the introduction of fluorescent substances throughout the intervention. The real-time laser-speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) method was studied for its effectiveness in controlling blood flow in standard cerebrovascular surgery cases in rat common carotid arteries, such as proximal occlusion, trapping, reperfusion, anastomosis, and intraoperative vessel thrombosis. The real-time LSCI method is a promising method for use in neurosurgical practice. This approach allows timely diagnosis of intraoperative disturbance of blood flow in vessels in cases of clip occlusion or thrombosis. Additionally, LSCI allows us to reliably confirm the functioning of the anastomosis and reperfusion after removal of the clips and thrombolysis in real time. An unresolved limitation of the method is noise from movements, but this does not reduce the value of the method. Additional research is required to improve the quality of the data obtained.