Photoacoustic imaging in monitoring of compartmental syndrome in rat extremities

Muscle ischemia injury is the essence of compartment syndrome (CS). Photoacoustic (PA) imaging can monitor hemoglobin concentration changes in ischemic tissue by determining the state of light-absorbing molecules. This study investigated whether PA imaging can provide accurate CS monitoring. Rats received compression on the lower hind limb for 3 h to induce ischemia injury, followed by PA imaging of desired muscles for 24 h. PA intensities of the injured group were significantly lower than that in the control group. Histology findings correlated well with the PA findings. The results demonstrated that PA imaging could be a noninvasive and timely tool for clinically monitoring CS.