Preliminary Clinical Experience with a Novel Optical–Ultrasound Imaging Device on Various Skin Lesions

A compact handheld skin ultrasound imaging device has been developed that uses co-registered optical and ultrasound imaging to provide diagnostic information about the full skin depth. The aim of the current work is to present the preliminary clinical results of this device. Using additional photographic, dermoscopic and ultrasonic images as reference, the images from the device were assessed in terms of the detectability of the main skin layer boundaries and characteristic image features. Combined optical-ultrasonic recordings of various types of skin lesions (melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, seborrheic keratosis, dermatofibroma, naevus, dermatitis and psoriasis) were taken with the device (N = 53) and compared with images captured with a reference portable skin ultrasound imager. The investigator and two additional independent experts performed the evaluation. The detectability of skin structures was over 90% for the epidermis, the dermis and the lesions. The morphological and echogenicity information observed for the different skin lesions were found consistent with those of the reference ultrasound device and relevant ultrasound images in the literature. The presented device was able to obtain simultaneous in-vivo optical and ultrasound images of various skin lesions. This has the potential for further investigations, including the preoperative planning of skin cancer treatment.

Validation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Measure Perioperative Edema in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

Purpose: Fluid overload is a common post-operative issue in children following cardiac surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is currently no gold standard for evaluating fluid status. We sought to validate the use of point-of-care ultrasound to measure skin edema in infants and assess the intra- and inter-user variability.Methods: Prospective cohort study of neonates (≤30 d/o) and infants (31 d/o to 12 m/o) undergoing cardiac surgery and neonatal controls. Skin ultrasound was performed on four body sites at baseline and daily post-operatively through post-operative day (POD) 3. Subcutaneous tissue depth was manually measured. Intra- and inter-user variability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).Results: Fifty control and 22 surgical subjects underwent skin ultrasound. There was no difference between baseline surgical and control neonates. Subcutaneous tissue increased in neonates starting POD 1 with minimal improvement by POD 3. In infants, this pattern was less pronounced with near resolution by POD 3. Intra-user variability was excellent (ICC 0.95). Inter-user variability was very good (ICC 0.82).Conclusion: Point-of-care skin ultrasound is a reproducible and reliable method to measure subcutaneous tissue in infants with and without congenital heart disease. Acute increases in subcutaneous tissue suggests development of skin edema, consistent with extravascular fluid overload. There is evidence of skin edema starting POD 1 in all subjects with no substantial improvement by POD 3 in neonates. Point-of-care ultrasound could be an objective way to measure extravascular fluid overload in infants. Further research is needed to determine how extravascular fluid overload correlates to clinical outcomes.

Possibilities of skin ultrasound examination in the management of patients with localized scleroderma

With the help of ultrasound examination (ultrasound), it is possible to visualize the skin of patients with suspected localized scleroderma, as well as to objectively determine the stage of the disease and assess the effectiveness of therapy. Three patients with linear, plaque forms of scleroderma, as well as lichen sclerosus, underwent skin ultrasound using a Skinscanner DUB TPM device with a 75 MHz transducer, 4 mm penetration, 21 m resolution in the area of lesions and in adjacent areas of healthy skin, using their ratio coefficient (RC) for comparative evaluation. The thickness of the epidermis and dermis, their echogenicity were determined. With a linear form of scleroderma, an increase in the thickness of the epidermis in the area of the focus (RC 0.850.0125) and a decrease in its echogenicity (RC 1.580.46) were observed. The echogenicity of the dermis was significantly reduced in the lesion (RC 3.021.17). The dermis thickness was slightly less in the center of the lesion (RC 1.09), at the periphery of the lesion it was moderately increased (RC 0.86). In the plaque form of scleroderma, a decrease in the echogenicity of the epidermis was observed in the foci (RC 1.320.49); an increase in the thickness of the dermis (RC 0.790.16) and a decrease in its e echogenicity (RC 1.260.57). In 7 of 11 foci, a subepidermal hypoechoic band was visualized. With lichen sclerosis in the foci, an increase in the thickness of the epidermis (RC 0.420.12) and its acoustic density (RC 0.630.0793), a decrease in the thickness and echo density of the dermis (RC 1.320.00943 and RC 1.550.6, respectively). With different forms of LS, a different ultrasound picture was observed, depending on the stage and activity of the process. The changes identified during treatment reflect the effectiveness of the therapy and the rate of restoration of the skin structure during therapy.