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Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of the Skin

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Agache's Measuring the Skin

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging technology that provides high-resolution images in the micrometer range. OCT creates in vivo images of the skin to a depth of up to 2 mm and can be used as an adjunct tool for diagnosing and monitoring specific lesions.

The literature on OCT imaging of the skin has focused on tumors, identifying OCT characteristics that may serve as diagnostic hallmarks. Other diseases have also been studied in small series, e.g., blistering diseases and wounds, with early data suggesting that OCT imaging may provide sufficient detail for monitoring these diseases. Recently, OCT has been utilized to describe dermal changes in fibrotic diseases, broadening the utility of the method.

High-definition OCT images provide images with a higher resolution, but with a lower penetration than conventional OCT. This method is less well described, but preliminary data imply that it may be useful in the study of not only of the abovementioned disease categories but also of inflammatory diseases, providing a further step in the quest for a true optical biopsy of the skin.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Roskilde Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Roskilde, Denmark

    Alia Arif Hussain, Lotte Themstrup & Gregor B. E. Jemec

  2. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Mette Mogensen

Authors
  1. Alia Arif Hussain
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  2. Lotte Themstrup
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  3. Mette Mogensen
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  4. Gregor B. E. Jemec
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alia Arif Hussain .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France

    Philippe Humbert

  2. Center for Study and Research on the Integuments, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France

    Ferial Fanian

  3. Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

  4. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France

    Pierre Agache

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Hussain, A.A., Themstrup, L., Mogensen, M., Jemec, G.B.E. (2017). Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of the Skin. In: Humbert, P., Fanian, F., Maibach, H., Agache, P. (eds) Agache's Measuring the Skin. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32383-1_53

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32383-1_53

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32381-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32383-1

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