Imaging Techniques Used for Wound Healing Assessment: A Systematic Review Part 1 Chronic Wounds

Abstract

Background: chronic wounds are complex to manage and require an objective assessment for diagnosis and prognosis purposes. Therefore, this article aims to provide an overview of available noninvasive imaging techniques for chronic wound healing described in the literature. Methods: a systematic literature review using electronic databases was performed with appropriate “Mesh” terms. The primary outcome was the validity and reliability of the instrument, whilst the secondary outcome was its feasibility, such as speed of assessment, ease of use and cost of the tool. All studies underwent quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) to ensure the quality of the data. Results: 44 articles were identified evaluating six wound assessment modalities. Most studies (n = 9) reported on a two-dimensional device with a mean error ranging from 1.9–5.1% and an inter/intra rater correlation over 0.9 with a high ICC (>95%). The average QUADAS score was 13, with the lowest being 9 and the highest being 14. Conclusion: this review collectively evaluates objective, reliable, quantitative, and innovative tools to assess wound healing objectively. The most superior wound measuring device was two dimensional. However, hyperspectral imaging had strong potential but required further development in its technology and future clinic validation studies.