Accuracy of laser speckle contrast imaging in the assessment of pediatric scald wounds

Abstract

Background: Changes in microvascular perfusion in scalds in children during the first four days, measured with laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), are related to the time to healing and need for surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of LSCI on different days after injury in the prediction of healing outcome and if the accuracy can be improved by combining an early and a late measurement. Also, the accuracy of LSCI was compared with that of clinical assessment. Methods: Perfusion was measured between 0–24 h and between 72–96 h using LSCI in 45 children with scalds. On the same occasions, burn surgeons assessed the burns as healing <14 days or healing >14 days/surgery. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for the early and late measurement and for the double measurement (DM) using two different methods. Results: Sensitivity and specificity were 92.3% (95% CI: 64.0–99.8%) and 78.3% (95% CI: 69.9–85.3%) between 0–24 h, 100% (95% CI: 84.6–100%) and 90.4% (95% CI: 83.8–94.9%) between 72–96 h, and was 100% (95% CI: 59.0–100%) and 100% (95% CI: 95.1–100%) when combining the two measurements into a modified perfusion trend. Clinical assessment had an accuracy of 67%, Cohen's κ = 0.23. Conclusion: The perfusion in scalds between 72–96 h after injury, as measured using LSCI, is highly predictive of healing outcome in scalds when measured. The predictive value can be further improved by incorporating an early perfusion measurement within 24 h after injury.