Use of the liver tissue oxygenation index as a noninvasive parameter of intestinal ischemia in rabbits.

Objective: The tissue oxygenation index (TOI), measured by spatially resolved spectroscopy (SRS), reflects the ratio between oxygenated and deoxygenated tissue hemoglobin. We investigated whether liver TOI is a noninvasive parameter for early detection of intestinal ischemia.

Methods: In seven adult New Zealand rabbits the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and vein were exposed by laparotomy.