Panoramic Near-Infrared Imaging Device for Peripheral Vascular Mapping

Longitudinal mapping of the superficial peripheral vascular network is clinically relevant for conditions such as venous insufficiency, superficial venous thrombosis, and localized hemorrhagic injury; yet existing modalities are either operator-dependent, costly, or unable to provide wide-field coverage. We designed and demonstrated the feasibility of a relatively quick, cost-effective, automated panoramic near-infrared (NIR) imaging system operating at 850 nm, with a total acquisition time of 30 s. The prototype integrates a motorized rotational acquisition frame, co-localized illumination, lateral mirror enhancement, and a time-of-flight ranging sensor. A custom image processing pipeline combining contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE), black-hat morphological filtering, Otsu binarization, structure-tensor-based diameter quantification, and photogrammetric 3D reconstruction was applied to data from five healthy volunteers. Optimal acquisition parameters (30 ms exposure, analog gain 3.5) were identified via systematic characterization. The pipeline reliably isolated venous structures of the 35 cm field of view, yielding a mean superficial vein diameter of 2.69 ± 1.48 mm, consistent with published anatomical references. A panoramic texture-mapped 3D surface reconstruction of the limb was generated for each participant. The system provides a rapid, operator-independent panoramic view of superficial veins suitable for future longitudinal monitoring, offering a compelling complementary tool to duplex ultrasound for tracking morphological and volumetric vascular changes.