Non-invasive imaging of pathological scars using a portable handheld two-photon microscope

作者：Yang Han, Yuxuan Sun, Feili Lo Yang, Qingwu Liu, Wenmin Fei, Wenzhuo Qiu, Junjie Wang, Linshuang Li, Xuejun Zhang, Aimin Wang, Yong Cui · 发表于：Chinese Medical Journal · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1097/cm9.0000000000002715 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Dermatologic Treatments and Research、Infrared Thermography in Medicine、Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management

BACKGROUND: Pathological scars are a disorder that can lead to various cosmetic, psychological, and functional problems, and no effective assessment methods are currently available. Assessment and treatment of pathological scars are based on cutaneous manifestations. A two-photon microscope (TPM) with the potential for real-time non-invasive assessment may help determine the under-surface pathophysiological conditions in vivo . This study used a portable handheld TPM to image epidermal cells and dermal collagen structures in pathological scars and normal skin in vivo to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in scar patients. METHODS: Fifteen patients with pathological scars and three healthy controls were recruited. Imaging was performed using a portable handheld TPM. Five indexes were extracted from two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) perspectives, including collagen depth, dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) contour ratio, thickness, orientation, and occupation (proportion of collagen fibers in the field of view) of collagen. Two depth-dependent indexes were computed through the 3D second harmonic generation image and three morphology-related indexes from the 2D images. We assessed index differences between scar and normal skin and changes before and after treatment. RESULTS: Pathological scars and normal skin differed markedly regarding the epidermal morphological structure and the spectral characteristics of collagen fibers. Five indexes were employed to distingu...