Application of a laser Doppler perfusion imaging Periscan PIM II for measuring the blood flow of the oral mucosa

Abstract

PURPOSE: We investigated the blood flow in the oral mucosa of the palatal area to evaluate the biological condition and clinical parameters. Recently, a new laser Doppler perfusion imaging system Periscan PIM II has been developed for spatial tissue and provides images of its perfusion of the superficial area. In order to measure the basal seat mucosa by using this system, we investigated a way of measuring the basal seat mucosa and correcting the perfusion value. METHODS: The effect of scanning distance and tissue curvature on perfusion values was investigated. The perfusion images in the palatal mucosa of 11 maxillary edentulous adults were measured and corrected. RESULTS: Perfusion values decreased with the increase of incident angle and scanning distance. In the ridge area, the perfusion value of the posterior alveolar ridge area was smaller than that of the anterior. In the palatal area, the perfusion value of the frontal area was the largest. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the new perfusion imaging system would be useful for evaluating the mucosal condition and determining prosthetic procedures, because distribution maps of perfusion correspond to the anatomical marks and clinical observations. However, numerous examples still need to be accumulated.