Near-infrared light is already successfully used for a variety of applications in medical health care, such as pulse oximetry, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared fluorescence. This thesis examines the potential of near-infrared light used by NIRS in the detection of (patho)physiological consequences of vascular disease. It was shown that NIRS can be used in a clinical setting for the assessment of chronic compartment syndrome of lower extremities, and as a surveillance tool for detection of free flap failure. Also, NIRS measurements in muscle tissue have the potential to become an accepted diagnostic tool in other vascular diseases. However, with the current knowledge regarding NIRS, additional validation is needed before routine use of NIRS in the diagnosis of critical limb ischemia, spinal cord ischemia in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and renal allograft ischemia in patients undergoing kidney transplantation
