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High‐definition optical coherence tomography – an aid to clinical practice and research in dermatology
Author(s) -
Cao Taige,
Tey Hong Liang
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
jddg: journal der deutschen dermatologischen gesellschaft
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.463
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1610-0387
pISSN - 1610-0379
DOI - 10.1111/ddg.12768
Subject(s) - optical coherence tomography , medicine , medical physics , computer science , clinical practice , radiology , dermatology , family medicine
Summary At present, beyond clinical assessment, the diagnosis of skin diseases is primarily made histologically. However, skin biopsies have many disadvantages, including pain, scarring, risk of infection, and sampling error. With recent advances in skin imaging technology, the clinical use of imaging methods for the practical management of skin diseases has become an option. The in vivo high‐definition optical coherence tomography (HD‐OCT) has recently been developed and commercialized (Skintell®; Agfa, Belgium). Compared with conventional OCT, it has a higher resolution; compared with reflectance confocal microscopy, it has a shorter time for image acquisition as well as a greater penetration depth and a larger field of view. HD‐OCT is promising but much work is still required to develop it from a research tool to a valuable adjunct for the noninvasive diagnosis of skin lesions. Substantial work has been done to identify HD‐OCT features in various diseases but interpretation can be time‐consuming and tedious. Projects aimed at automating these processes and improving image quality are currently under way.