Finite Element Modeling of Abdominal Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy for Infant Splanchnic Oximetry

Abstract

Abdominal near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) holds promise for early detection of necrotizing enterocolitis and other infantpathologies prior to irreversible injury, but the optimal NIRS sensor design is not well defined. In this study, we develop anddemonstrate a computational method to evaluate NIRS sensor designs for infant splanchnic oximetry. We used a finite element(FE) approach to simulate near-infrared light transport through a 3D model of the infant abdomen constructed from computedtomography (CT) images. The simulations enable the measurement of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for splanchnic oximetry,given a specific NIRS sensor design. A key design criterion is the sensor's source–detector distance (SDD). We calculated the CNRas a function of SDD for two sensor positions near the umbilicus. Contrast-to-noise was maximal at SDDs between 4 and 5 cm,and comparable between sensor positions. Sensitivity to intestinal tissue also exceeded sensitivity to superficial adipose tissue inthe 4–5 cm range. FE modeling of abdominal NIRS signals provides a means for rapid and thorough evaluation of sensor designsfor infant splanchnic oximetry. By informing optimal NIRS sensor design, the computational methods presented here can im-prove the reliability and applicability of infant splanchnic oximetry.