Validation of laser Doppler fluxmetry as a method of assessing neo-angiogenesis in laryngeal tumours.

Abstract

Our intention was to validate the hypothesis that laser Doppler fluxmetry would give a valid representation of underlying tissue blood flow and would provide a reliable tool for measuring blood flow in human laryngeal cancers. This was an experimental prospective study. We performed laser Doppler fluxmetry on 20 patients with laryngeal cancer and compared the values obtained through this method with manual counting of microvessel density from biopsies, the accepted gold standard. We demonstrated good inter- and intraobserver variability in our estimation of microvessel density. We then compared microvessel density with laser Doppler fluxmetry, and using Spearman's test to assess nonparametric correlation, we obtained a correlation coefficient of 0.4 (P value: 0.15). To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to demonstrate a positive trend between angiogenesis measured conventionally when compared with laser Doppler fluxmetry.

• Authors: A Jacob, B E Varghese, M B Birchall
• Journal: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol) Vol. 263 Issue 5 Pg. 444-8 (May 2006) ISSN: 0937-4477 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 16311774 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Validation Study)

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biopsy
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (blood supply, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Laryngeal Neoplasms (blood supply, pathology)
• Larynx (blood supply, pathology)
• Laser-Doppler Flowmetry
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (diagnosis)
• Prospective Studies