In vivo evaluation of skin of children with LC-OCT: An objective assessment.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2023;
37:1897-1905. [PMID:
37147895 DOI:
10.1111/jdv.19163]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Several non-invasive skin imaging methods have been developed in recent years. Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is one of them, leading to the best compromise in terms of resolution and penetration depth. Skin biopsies are an essential technique in paediatric dermatology, but they are a major stressful event for the child and their parents. Current LC-OCT studies have not been dedicated to a paediatric population. If, however, LC-OCT proves to be helpful in children, it may help guide and decrease a certain number of skin biopsies.
OBJECTIVES
(1) To evaluate the feasibility of using LC-OCT in paediatric patients, and (2) to assess the maturation of skin structures in children over time with this method.
METHODS
In vivo LC-OCT images were collected on six specific body regions (forehead, forearm, chest, back, dorsum of the hand and palmar surface) and in six age groups (between the ages of 0 and 16 years).
RESULTS
In all body areas and age groups assessed, 9 of 10 images were rated as good-to-excellent, the only exception were the images acquired on the palmar surface. LC-OCT allowed visualizing very well the skin structures up to a penetration of 500 μm. We observed that the body regions located on the upper extremities of the body (forearm, dorsum of the hand and palmar surface) showed both a maturation on their structure and differences in thickness with respect to the other regions evaluated.
CONCLUSIONS
LC-OCT can easily be used for non-invasive imaging of children's skin and allows to document progressive skin changes in the different age groups. It may be a useful asset for imaging and diagnosing superficial skin disorders and as such reducing the number of invasive procedures while increasing the speed of diagnosis in the paediatric population.
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