Laser Doppler measurement of cutaneous blood flow

Laser Doppler velocimetry is an instrument system which has only recently been applied to the evaluation and quantitation of perfusion in the micro-vascular bed. The instrument is based on the Doppler principle, but uses low power laser light rather than the more commonly used ultrasound, and has a sample volume of approximately 1 mm/sup 3/. As it is non-invasive, it can be used on any skin surface or exposed microvascular bed and provides a continuous semi-quantitative measure of microcirculatory perfusion, it has a number of advantages as compared to other cutaneous blood flow measurement techniques. Initial studies have shown that it is easily used, and it has demonstrated good correlation with both xenon radio-isotope clearance and microsphere deposition techniques. Areas of current evaluation and utilization are in most major areas of medicine and surgery and include plastic, vascular and orthopaedic surgery, dermatology, gastro-enterology, rheumatology, burns and anaesthesiology