METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INTRAOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PARATHYROID GLAND VASCULARITY USING LASER SPECKLE CONTRAST IMAGING AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME

摘要

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for intraoperative assessment of parathyroid gland viability in a surgery. The method includes diffusing a beam of light onto a tissue surface of a parathyroid gland of a patient to illuminate the tissue surface; acquiring images of the illuminated tissue surface, where each of the acquired images includes a speckle pattern; and processing the acquired images to obtain speckle contrast images for the intraoperative assessment of parathyroid gland viability.