BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Epidermal injury is common but the accuracy of visual methods is significantly impacted by the inherent skin pigmentation. We examined imaging and fluorescence techniques to quantify tissue injury as a function of skin color. METHODS: Epidermal and mucosal scratches were created in 20 light- (L(*) 68.2+/-2.3) and 20 dark-skinned (L(*) 46.4+/-5.2) females. Injured and uninjured sites were treated with toluidine blue (TB), fluorescein (FL) and a TB/FL mixture and photographed under conditions of white and fluorescent light. Area and intensity parameters were determined. RESULTS: Injured sites with TB and TB/FL had higher areas than the control for both light and dark subjects (ANOVA, P<0.05). The intensity of the injured TB site was higher than the control for light skin only. The areas of injured sites with FL and TB/FL were higher than the control for both groups as were the intensities of the injured sites with FL. The findings were similar for the lip skin. CONCLUSIONS: Application of TB and FL contrasts under white and fluorescent light can be used to quantify tissue injuries for L(*) values >35 and is a promising approach for the quantitation across a range of skin pigmentation.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE:Epidermal injury is common but the accuracy of visual methods is significantly impacted by the inherent skin pigmentation. We examined imaging and fluorescence techniques to quantify tissue injury as a function of skin color. METHODS: Epidermal and mucosal scratches were created in 20 light- (L(*) 68.2+/-2.3) and 20 dark-skinned (L(*) 46.4+/-5.2) females. Injured and uninjured sites were treated with toluidine blue (TB), fluorescein (FL) and a TB/FL mixture and photographed under conditions of white and fluorescent light. Area and intensity parameters were determined. RESULTS: Injured sites with TB and TB/FL had higher areas than the control for both light and dark subjects (ANOVA, P<0.05). The intensity of the injured TB site was higher than the control for light skin only. The areas of injured sites with FL and TB/FL were higher than the control for both groups as were the intensities of the injured sites with FL. The findings were similar for the lip skin. CONCLUSIONS: Application of TB and FL contrasts under white and fluorescent light can be used to quantify tissue injuries for L(*) values >35 and is a promising approach for the quantitation across a range of skin pigmentation.
Authors: Marc Noppen; Grigoris Stratakos; Sylvia Verbanck; Jan D'Haese; Marc Meysman; Walter Vincken Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2004-06-23 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Adrian G Dan; Sukamal Saha; Keith M Monson; David Wiese; Elie Schochet; Kimberly R Barber; Balvant Ganatra; Delip Desai; Sunil Kaushal Journal: Arch Surg Date: 2004-11