Background: Currently, only skin biopsy can provide definitive histological confirmation for the diagnosis of skin diseases. To improve the diagnostic accuracy and to assist the dermatologist, various imaging techniques have been added to the examination of skin. Among all these techniques, the recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have made it possible to image the skin up to 2 millimeters in depth.
Objective: To testify the feasibility of OCT imaging in skin biopsy, the authors investigated the OCT imaging for real-time visualization of needle insertion and punch biopsy techniques in both a tissue phantom and biological tissue.
Materials and methods: A swept-source OCT with 1,305-nm central wavelength was used in this study. The euthanized mouse was used for real-time visualization of needle insertion. A gelatin phantom with India ink was used to demonstrate the punch biopsy using OCT.
Results: Optical coherence tomography can provide guidance for skin injections as well as real-time imaging to assist in the performance of punch biopsy.
Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography holds potential not only as a diagnostic tool in dermatology. It can also allow for visualization for more accurate drug delivery, and noninvasively assess the response to treatment.