A Survey of Optical Imaging Techniques for Assessing Wound Healing

Optical imaging is an alternative modality that can be used to overcome both the lack of objectivity and noninvasiveness in the identification, evaluation and assessment of cutaneous wounds and cutaneous wound healing. By using optical imaging techniques to monitor wound healing, one can assess the underlying processes in the tissue to determine if the wound has undergone a normal healing response, which in turn, allows for prompt and correct treatment and care. This paper reviews existing research conducted using different optical imaging techniques that have been used or are relevant in assessing cutaneous wound healing. Advances in optical imaging have allowed for optical characterization of wound healing in different layers of tissue with many different imaging modalities including confocal microscopy, multi-photon microscopy, fluorescence imaging, terahertz imaging, near-infrared imaging, optical coherence tomography, and hyperspectral imaging.