REVIEW  LINE-FIELD CONFOCAL OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY Free access

Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology 2023 June;158(3):190-6

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8671.23.07607-7

Copyright © 2023 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Inflammatory and infectious skin diseases in line-field confocal optical coherence tomography: state of the art

Carolina DONELLI ¹ ✉, Pietro RUBEGNI ¹, Linda TOGNETTI ¹, Francesco LACARRUBBA ², Alessandro DI STEFANI ³, Simone CAPPILLI ³, Mariano SUPPA ⁴, Jean-Luc PERROT ⁵, Elisa CINOTTI ¹

¹ Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; ² Dermatology Clinic, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ³ Institute of Dermatology, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ Department of Dermatology, Erasmus Hospital, Free University of Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; ⁵ Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Center, Saint-Etienne, France

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a new non-invasive dermatological imaging device. We summarized the available data on the use of LC-OCT for inflammatory and infectious diseases. In February 2023, we searched for all articles concerning the use of LC-OCT in inflammatory and infectious diseases. A total number of 14 papers were found and evaluated, and relevant information was extracted. LC-OCT can reveal architectural changes in the skin. Inflammatory cells are barely visible. It can highlight the level of fluid accumulation, the thickness of different epidermal layers, and the presence of ‘‘foreign bodies’’ such as parasites.

KEY WORDS: Tomography, optical coherence; Diagnostic imaging; Inflammation; Infections; Parasitic diseases