Calibrating Imaging Techniques to Study Blood Flow

Study Summary

This study will explore the uses of three noninvasive imaging techniques-thermography, laser Doppler imaging, and multispectral imaging-to test the blood flow of healthy volunteers. By comparing these three techniques, researchers will be able to train these imaging systems to better evaluate skin types and blood flow. The study will also test computer programs that have been developed to correct for the effects of curvature and body hair on the images. Healthy volunteers must be older than 18 years of age and may not have had a history of malignant tumors, skin disease, or vascular disease. Participants will undergo the following procedures on an outpatient basis: Three different types of images taken of the participant s forearm * Thermography infrared thermal imaging to map skin temperature * Laser Doppler imaging low-powered laser imaging to map blood flow in the skin * Multispectral imaging near-infrared light imaging to measure total blood flow and oxygen levels in the skin A reactive hyperemia experiment, in which multispectral images will be taken of the participant s forearm during and after the use of a blood pressure cuff A hair removal experiment, in which images will be collected of the participant s forearm in separate scans done before and after the hair is removed with a topical hair removal solution The entire series of exams will take approximately one hour to perform.