Correlation of Vascular Patterns in Skin Lesions With LC-OCT and Dermoscopy With a Tridimensional Perspective: A Pilot Study

Clément Lenoir; Mariano Suppa; Susana Puig; Véronique del Marmol; Raquel Albero; Llucia Also; Carmen Orte Cano; Gwendoline Diet; Margot Fontaine; Linda Tognetti; Elisa Cinotti; Pietro Rubegni; Jean Luc Perrot; Josep Malvehy; Javiera Pérez-Anker

doi:10.5826/dpc.1503a5297

Correlation of Vascular Patterns in Skin Lesions With LC-OCT and Dermoscopy With a Tridimensional Perspective: A Pilot Study

Authors

Clément Lenoir Universitat de Barcelona
Mariano Suppa Université Libre de Bruxelles
Susana Puig Universitat de Barcelona
Véronique del Marmol Université Libre de Bruxelles
Raquel Albero Universitat de Barcelona
Llucia Also Universitat de Barcelona
Carmen Orte Cano Université Libre de Bruxelles
Gwendoline Diet Université Libre de Bruxelles
Margot Fontaine Université Libre de Bruxelles
Linda Tognetti University of Siena
Elisa Cinotti University of Siena
Pietro Rubegni University of Siena
Jean Luc Perrot Université de Saint-Etienne
Josep Malvehy Universitat de Barcelona
Javiera Pérez-Anker Universitat de Barcelona

Keywords:

LC-OCT, dermoscopy, vascular pattern, skin lesion, skin imaging, non-invasive imaging

Abstract

Introduction: Vascular patterns play a crucial role in the diagnosis and differentiation of skin lesions by providing insight into underlying pathology and aid in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. While dermoscopy has proven valuable for visualizing these vascular structures, Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) offers high-resolution, 3-dimensional (3D) imaging of the skin, potentially providing detailed visualization of vascular architecture and new insights about their projection in dermoscopy.

Objectives: This pilot study aimed to investigate the correlation of vascular patterns in skin lesions with LC-OCT and dermoscopy and explored tridimensional imaging in assessing microvascular architecture.

Methods: A cohort of patients with 14 diverse skin lesions showing typical dermoscopic vascular patterns were examined using dermoscopy and LC-OCT. LC-OCT images were analyzed and manual segmentation with tridimensional reconstruction of the vascular structures was performed. Correlation between these vascular structures and their dermoscopic projection was then assessed.

Results: LC-OCT demonstrated a strong correlation with dermoscopy in identifying vascular patterns, offering additional depth and 3D details of the intricate relationship between skin micro-architecture and the development of specific vascular patterns in skin lesions.

Conclusions: LC-OCT correlates with dermoscopy in vascular pattern analysis in skin lesions. The added advantage of 3D imaging helped us understand the way vascular structures are formed in skin lesions depending on its micro-architecture. LC-OCT could potentially play a significant role in precisely assessing the vascular environment of skin lesions. Further studies are necessary to assess how this could provide clinical value for diagnosing or monitoring of skin lesions.

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