2026 Volume 42 Issue 1 Pages 61-67
A medical device utilizing laser speckle imaging has been developed to evaluate blood flow. This non-contact method enables real-time visualization of microcirculatory blood flow dynamics and has many clinical applications. We evaluated the effects of procedures and surgical manipulation on tissue blood flow using a laser speckle blood flow imaging system. (1) In orchidopexy procedures on mobile and retractile testicles, testicular blood flow decreased more significantly after dissection of perivascular tissues in retractile testicles, which required more extensive dissection. (2) During reduction of a prolapsed liver back into the abdominal cavity in a giant umbilical hernia, blood flow was maintained even when grossly abnormal coloration was observed on the liver surface, allowing the reduction to proceed while monitoring blood flow changes. Decreased tissue blood flow during procedures or after surgery can influence outcomes. A laser speckle blood flow imaging device can visualize microcirculatory blood flow dynamics non-invasively in real time, as a potential indicator for the required extent of procedural or surgical intervention.
