Quantitative ultrasound for the detection of deep tissue injury

Deep tissue injury (DTI) is an early-stage pressure injury (PI) that originates near the bone-muscle interface and progresses outward. Current detection relies on visual skin assessment, which cannot identify subdermal damage. Early detection of DTI could enable timely intervention and prevent severe PIs. Nakagami analysis has shown sensitivity to changes in tissue microstructure, as occurs in DTI, suggesting potential for earlier noninvasive detection. To evaluate our approach, we developed an ultrasound simulation built from histological data of muscle fibre alterations following an ex vivo study of sustained pressure. Performance was also assessed using in situ ultrasound data acquired from human cadavers with suspected PIs