Abstract
Measurement of organ function by the techniques of optoelectronics made it possible to diagnose non-invasively and quantitatively. Laser flowmetry is one of the application of the optoelectronics and clinically used for the in-vivo assessment of the tissue microcirculation.
We have reported the importance of mucosal blood flow in the pathogenesis of mucosal lesions using organ reflectance spectrophotometry system. In animal study, the usefulness of combined use of organ reflectance spectrophotometry and laser flowmetry was confirmed in the analysis of the microcirculatory disturbances induced by hemorrhagic shock. Laser flowmetry was applied to the evaluation of the change of gastric mucosal blood flow after endoscopic resection of gastric mucosa in human and the significant increase of mucosal blood flow at the ulcer margin was observed as a healing process of artificial ulcer.
We reported the two dimensional distribution of gastrointestinal mucosal blood volume by the image analysis using electronic endoscopy. Future advances in the functional diagnosis using laser are expected in the field such as two dimensional analysis of mucosal hemodynamics, fluorescence spectrum analysis and feedback system of diagnosis and therapy.
