title: Optical coherence tomography in the assessment of acute changes in cutaneous vascular diameter induced by heat stress.
abstract: There are limited imaging technologies available that can accurately assess or provide surrogate markers of the in vivo cutaneous microvessel network in humans. In this study, we establish the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a novel imaging technique to assess acute changes in cutaneous microvessel area density and diameter in humans. OCT speckle decorrelation images of the skin on the ventral side of the forearm up to a depth of 500 μm were obtained prior to and following 20-25 min of lower limb heating in eight healthy men [30.3 ± 7.6 (SD) yr]. Skin red blood cell flux was also collected using laser Doppler flowmetry probes immediately adjacent to the OCT skin sites, along with skin temperature. OCT speckle decorrelation images were obtained at both baseline and heating time points. Forearm skin flux increased significantly (0.20 ± 0.15 to 1.75 ± 0.38 cutaneous vascular conductance, P < 0.01), along with forearm skin temperature (32.0 ± 1.2 to 34.3 ± 1.0°C, P < 0.01). Quantitative differences in the automated calculation of vascular area densities (26 ± 9 to 49 ± 19%, P < 0.01) and individual microvessel diameters (68 ± 17 to 105 ± 25 μm, P < 0.01) were evident following the heating session. This is the first in vivo within-subject assessment of acute changes in the cutaneous microvasculature in response to heating in humans and highlights the use of OCT as an exciting new imaging approach for skin physiology and clinical research.
authors: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors: Howard H
authors: HH
authors: Carter
authors: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors: Peijun
authors: P
authors: Gong
authors: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.|Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Rodney W
authors: RW
authors: Kirk
authors: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors: Shaghayegh
authors: S
authors: Es'haghian
authors: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors: Ceri L
authors: CL
authors: Atkinson
authors: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.|Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia; and.
authors: David D
authors: DD
authors: Sampson
authors: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.|Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: Green
authors: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia; robert.mclaughlin@adelaide.edu.au.|Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Robert A
authors: RA
authors: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D055806:Microvessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D000071436:Thermotolerance / Q000502:physiology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
keywords: laser Doppler; optical coherence tomography; skin microvessels