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Use of erythema index imaging for systematic analysis of port wine stain skin response to laser therapy
Author(s) -
Jung Byungjo,
Kim ChangSeok,
Choi Bernard,
Kelly Kristen M.,
Nelson J. Stuart
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.20218
Subject(s) - port wine stain , erythema , port wine , dermatology , stain , laser therapy , medicine , pathology , laser , surgery , optics , staining , physics
Background and Objectives Quantitative methods to assess port wine stain (PWS) skin response to laser therapy are needed to improve therapeutic outcome. In this study, PWS skin erythema was analyzed using erythema index difference (ΔEI: erythema index difference between PWS and normal skin) images before and after treatment to investigate systematically subject‐dependent response to laser therapy. Study Design/Materials and Methods Cross‐polarized digital skin color images were acquired from 17 subjects with facial PWS and the associated ΔEI images were computed. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of PWS skin erythema were performed with ΔEI images, in which ranges of 40–6 and 5–0 represented PWS and normal skin, respectively. Results After laser therapy, we qualitatively observed a reduction in the Δ EI values for all subjects . Regression fitting of ΔEI values before and after PWS laser therapy was associated with strong positive linear correlation. Conclusions The imaging modality and analysis method allowed systematic analysis of PWS skin erythema in response to laser therapy. PWS skin response was dependent on pretreatment ΔEI values, suggesting that erythema can be utilized as an effective parameter to monitor PWS response to laser therapy. Lasers Surg. Med. 37:186–191, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.