Optical Coherence Tomography: A Noninvasive Method to Assess Wound Reepithelialization

• DOI: 10.1197/j.aem.2006.11.022
• Publication Date: 2007-03-16T00:56:38Z
• Authors: A. J. Singer; Z. Wang; S. A. McClain; Y. Pan
• Keywords: Histology

Accurate assessment of wound healing may require invasive tissue biopsies, limiting its clinical usefulness in humans. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel, high-resolution method using light reflection to obtain noninvasive cross sectional imaging biological tissues.To evaluate the utility OCT for assessing reepithelialization porcine model.The authors conducted an animal study with two domestic pigs. Excisional cutaneous wounds were created over ventral surface animals electric dermatome set at depth 600 microm. The excised or three days later and precisely marked guide initial subsequent slicing microscopy. Comparing hematoxylin eosin-stained histologic sections corresponding images from each sample permitted identification correlative micromorphology. Scatter Bland-Altman plots used present data. primary measure agreement was standard deviation pairwise differences percent between histology together 95% confidence interval.In normal skin, epidermis characterized by thin, bright layer indicating high degree scattering on OCT. dermis below thicker, darker area less light. All fresh excisional lacked outer immediately after injury. At 2 3, partially reepithelialized. A new intense neoepidermis sections. correlation measured 0.66 (p < 0.001), 11.0% (95% interval = 8.4% 16.1%).OCT accurately detects presence absence epidermal allowing tracking reepithelialization.