| Abstract: |
Background/aims: Fibre-optic confocal imaging in vivo is a new approach in the assessment of human skin. The objective is to describe a novel instrument and its operation and use in combination with fluorophores. Methods: The Stratum® is a fibre-optic fluorescence confocal microscope especially developed for the study of skin and mucous membranes. The system is flexible and any body site can be studied with a hand-held scanner. The light source is a 488 nm argon ion laser. Horizontal (en face) images of the epidermis and outer dermis are produced with cellular resolution. Magnification is approximately 1000x. Fluorescein sodium is routinely used as fluorophore (intradermal injection or application to the skin surface). This fluorophore is safe for human use in vivo, but other substances (rhodamine B, Acridine Orange, green fluorescent protein, curcumin) have also been studied. Results: The instrument produces sharp images of epidermal cell layers from the epidermal surface to the sub-papillary dermis, with sub-cellular resolution. The scanner is flexible in use. The technique of intradermal fluorophore injection requires some skill. Conclusions: We consider this fibre-optic instrument a potentially important tool in skin research for non-invasive optical biopsy of primarily the epidermis. Present use is focussed on research applications, where the fluorophore distribution in the skin may illustrate morphological changes in the epidermis. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2005. |
| Keywords: |
controlled study; human tissue; human cell; confocal; nonhuman; sensitivity and specificity; reproducibility of results; technology assessment, biomedical; animal cell; animal tissue; dermoscopy; confocal microscopy; image analysis; skin biopsy; image interpretation, computer-assisted; microscopy, confocal; epidermis; fluorescence; green fluorescent protein; fluorescent dyes; in vivo study; biopsy; dermis; morphology; skin; medical instrumentation; image enhancement; skin surface; medical imaging; medical research; skin examination; fluorescence microscopy; microscopy, fluorescence; fiber optics; equipment design; acridine orange; image processing; signal processing, computer-assisted; non invasive measurement; diseases; skill; curcumin; in vivo; skin cell; fluorescein; equipment failure analysis; laser; non-invasive; light; mucosa; biological membranes; epidermis cell; fluorophore; optical microscopy; fibre-optic; flourescein; skin imaging; fiber optic chemical sensors; fibre-optic confocal microscopy; fluorophores; skin research; fluorescein sodium; rhodamine b; argon laser; fluorescence microscope
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