Diagnosis of burn wounds using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We present experimental results from the application of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in diagnosis of scald burns in a standardized porcine model in a clinical Operating Room setting. Superficial, deep partial-thickness and full-thickness burns were differentiated according to the spectral information between 0.2 and 0.8 THz. The severity of wounds were quantified based to the depth of the burned skin, using histological analysis of the biopsy sections, as the gold standard. Our results indicate that terahertz spectroscopy can be used to discriminate accurately between burns of varying severity.