Table 1 Characteristics of the perfusion scores used to assess the microcirculation
From: How to evaluate the microcirculation: report of a round table conference
De Backer score [3] | MFI [4] | |
|---|---|---|
Variable(s) measured | Total vascular density | Microvascular flow index |
Small vessel density | ||
Proportion of perfused vessels (all) | ||
Proportion of perfused small vessels (PPV) | ||
Perfused vessel density (all) | ||
Perfused small vessel density (PVD) | ||
Main characteristics | Several variables measured, including FCD | Rapid |
Good reproducibility (intra-observer and inter-observer) | Also provides information on type of flow in perfused vessels (sluggish, normal, rapid) | |
Continuous variable | Categorical variable | |
Disadvantages | Score is sensitive to isotropy (change in image size during optical magnification) | Functional capillary density (FCD) not provided |