Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a fairly new non-invasive optical real-time imaging modality, is an emergent in vivo technique, based on the interference (Michelson interferometry) of infrared radiation and living tissues, that allows high-resolution, 2- or 3-dimensional, cross-sectional visualisation of microstructural morphology of tissues. OCT provides depth-resolved images of tissues with resolution up to a few micrometers and depth up to several millimetres depending on tissue type. The investigations using OCT to assess skin structure in clinical settings started in the past decade and consequently proved that this imaging method is useful in visualizing subsurface structures of normal skin, including the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction, dermis, hair follicles, blood vessels and sweat ducts. An increasing number of papers brought evidence of the utility and the precision of OCT technology, in its different technical variants, in diagnosing and monitoring skin disorders, including malignancies and inflammatory conditions, respectively. The present comprehensive review describes and illustrates technical aspects and clinical applications of OCT methods in dermatology.

Lichen sclerosus is a relatively common chronic inflammatory skin disease that predominantly affects the anogenital area. Accumulating evidence indicates that lichen sclerosus in women may be associated with other autoimmune disease, whereas this association seems to lack in male patients. We retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of autoimmune diseases and serological parameters indicative for autoimmunity in male and female patients with lichen sclerosus. Of the 532 patients (396 women, 136 men; 500 adults, 32 children; mean age: 49 years; range 1-89 years; female:male ratio 3:1), 452 (85%) had genital and 80 (15%) had extragenital disease. In women, lichen sclerosus was significantly more often associated with at least one autoimmune disease as compared to men (odds ratio [OR] 4.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-9.6; p<0.0001). Moreover, female patients with lichen sclerosus had sinificantly more often associated autoimmune thyroid diseases (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.8-11.9; p<0.0002), antithyroid-antibodies (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1-6.5; p=0.023), and elevated autoantibodies (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.9-9.3; p<0.0001) as compared to male patients. This observation is suggestive for a different pathogenetic background in male and female patients.

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clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01400022.