Assessment of intestinal viability using a non-contact laser tissue blood flowmeter

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative assessment of small intestinal viability following ischemic insult from arterial occlusion has remained difficult. The purpose of the present study was to assess the applicability of non-contact tissue blood flowmeter (NCLBF) with regard to intraoperative assessment of intestinal viability. METHODS: Using the ischemia-reperfusion model of rabbits, the relationship between the records of NCLBF, pulse oximetry (PO), and histological grade and the comparison of accuracy of intestinal viability among NCLBF, PO, and fluorescein (FL) were examined. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between NCLBF and the histological grade (coefficient-0.80, P <0.0001); however, PO was not related. The accuracy and sensitivity of bowel viability of NCLBF (76%, 88%) were better than those of PO (58%, 23%) and FL (48%, 4%), respectively (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NCLBF is useful to assess intestinal viability, suggesting the possibility of clinical use.