Hyperspectral Imaging for Viability Assessment of Human Liver Allografts During Normothermic Machine Perfusion

Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is nowadays frequently utilized in liver transplantation. Despite commonly accepted viability assessment criteria, such as perfusate lactate and perfusate pH, there is a lack of predictive organ evaluation strategies to ensure graft viability. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI)—as an optical imaging modality increasingly applied in the biomedical field—might provide additional useful data regarding allograft viability and performance of liver grafts during NMP. METHODS. Twenty-five deceased donor liver allografts were included in the study. During NMP, graft viability was assessed conventionally and by means of HSI. Images of liver parenchyma were acquired at 1, 2, and 4 h of NMP, and subsequently analyzed using a specialized HSI acquisition software to compute oxygen saturation, tissue hemoglobin index, near-infrared perfusion index, and tissue water index. To analyze the association between HSI parameters and perfusate lactate as well as perfusate pH, we performed simple linear regression analysis. RESULTS. Perfusate lactate at 1, 2, and 4 h NMP was 1.5 [0.3–8.1], 0.9 [0.3–2.8], and 0.9 [0.1–2.2] mmol/L. Perfusate pH at 1, 2, and 4 h NMP was 7.329 [7.013–7.510], 7.318 [7.081–7.472], and 7.265 [6.967–7.462], respectively. Oxygen saturation predicted perfusate lactate at 1 and 2 h NMP (R(2) = 0.1577, P = 0.0493; R(2) = 0.1831, P = 0.0329; respectively). Tissue hemoglobin index predicted perfusate lactate at 1, 2, and 4 h NMP (R(2) = 0.1916, P = 0.0286; R(2) = 0.2900, P = 0.0055; R(2) = 0.2453, P = 0.0139; respectively). CONCLUSIONS. HSI may serve as a noninvasive tool for viability assessment during NMP. Further evaluation and validation of HSI parameters are warranted in larger sample sizes.