Trial Information

Improving Diagnosis of Skin Cancer Patients Via Optical Coherence Tomography and Teledermatology- A Pilot Study

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a technical application, which allows the
identification of microscopic patterns indicative for benign and malignant skin lesions. It
is a promising non-invasive imaging technique for the micromorphology of the skin. OCT
provides in vivo cross sectional tomographic images of tissue in situ and real-time with
micrometer resolution. It works analogously to ultrasound; the reflection of infrared light,
instead of acoustical waves, from the skin is measured and the signal strength is imaged as
a function of position. Depending on the scattering properties of tissue and some accepted
loss in resolution, a penetration depth of up to 2 mm can be achieved. The image data are
displayed by assigning color or gray scales to each reflection, according to the measured
signal strength. The OCT probe is applied directly after application of ultrasound gel to
the skin. Acquisition time for an OCT image is approximately 3 seconds.