Multispectral imaging of nailfold capillaries using light-emitting diode illumination

Michaela Taylor-Williams; Stephen Mead; Travis W. Sawyer; Lina Hacker; Calum Williams; Michael Berks; Andrea Murray; Sarah E. Bohndiek

doi:10.1117/1.JBO.27.12.126002

12 December 2022 Multispectral imaging of nailfold capillaries using light-emitting diode illumination

Michaela Taylor-Williams, Stephen Mead, Travis W. Sawyer, Lina Hacker, Calum Williams, Michael Berks, Andrea Murray, Sarah E. Bohndiek

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 27, Issue 12, 126002 (December 2022). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.27.12.126002

Abstract

Significance

The capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body, typically imaged using video capillaroscopy to aid diagnosis of connective tissue diseases, such as systemic sclerosis. Video capillaroscopy allows visualization of morphological changes in the nailfold capillaries but does not provide any physiological information about the blood contained within the capillary network. Extracting parameters such as hemoglobin oxygenation could increase sensitivity for diagnosis and measurement of microvascular disease progression.

Aim

To design, construct, and test a low-cost multispectral imaging (MSI) system using light-emitting diode (LED) illumination to assess relative hemoglobin oxygenation in the nailfold capillaries.

Approach

An LED ring light was first designed and modeled. The ring light was fabricated using four commercially available LED colors and a custom-designed printed circuit board. The experimental system was characterized and results compared with the illumination model. A blood phantom with variable oxygenation was used to determine the feasibility of using the illumination-based MSI system for oximetry. Nailfold capillaries were then imaged in a healthy subject.

Results

The illumination modeling results were in close agreement with the constructed system. Imaging of the blood phantom demonstrated sensitivity to changing hemoglobin oxygenation, which was in line with the spectral modeling of reflection. The morphological properties of the volunteer capillaries were comparable to those measured in current gold standard systems.

Conclusions

LED-based illumination could be used as a low-cost approach to enable MSI of the nailfold capillaries to provide insight into the oxygenation of the blood contained within the capillary network.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

Citation Download Citation

Michaela Taylor-Williams, Stephen Mead, Travis W. Sawyer, Lina Hacker, Calum Williams, Michael Berks, Andrea Murray, and Sarah E. Bohndiek "Multispectral imaging of nailfold capillaries using light-emitting diode illumination," Journal of Biomedical Optics 27(12), 126002 (12 December 2022). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.27.12.126002

Received: 22 May 2022; Accepted: 9 November 2022; Published: 12 December 2022

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

JOURNAL ARTICLE
15 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

KEYWORDS

Light emitting diodes

Capillaries

LED lighting

Oxygenation

Blood

Reflectivity

Multispectral imaging

Significance

Aim

Approach

Results

Conclusions

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years