Structural validation of facial skin using optical coherence tomography: A descriptive study

Background In this immediate ex vivo study, we aimed to identify the structures of normal and pathological facial skin using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and compared them to the gold standard histopathology. Material and Methods A total of 53 patients, with 57 suspicious facial lesions, participated in this study. A set of variables have been highlighted by the pathologist to represent the minimum unique features that could be used to diagnose a skin pathology have been included in a checklist. One pathologist used this checklist while examining the histopathology slides and one clinician while examining the OCT images. The data from both checklists have been reviewed and compared. Results Optical coherence tomography's overall accuracy in diagnosing AK was 83%. Best accuracy was achieved in diagnosing BCC and was 97%, while it was 85% for cutaneous SCC. OCT failed to diagnose LM with an accuracy of 33.3% based on the two parameters of the pathology checklist, while it was 81% for malignant melanoma. Conclusion This study proved the success of OCT in identifying structural changes in normal and pathological facial skin. Further studies to prove its usefulness in vivo are recommended.