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Updated: Oct 1, 2026
Combining Reflectance Confocal Microscopy with Optical Coherence Tomography for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancers via Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2022
In vivo confocal imaging of pigmented eccrine poroma
Rieko Tachihara1, Christine Choi, Richard G B Langley
1Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., USA.
Background:
Near-infrared reflectance confocal microscopy (CM) imaging is a noninvasive technique that can be utilized to evaluate histologic features of cutaneous lesions in vivo.
Objective:
A case of pigmented eccrine poroma was examined with CM.
Methods:
Confocal images were taken to define the features of the lesion and correlated with transverse hematoxylin-eosin (HE)-stained sections.
Results:
In CM imaging, a well-demarcated homogeneous nest consisting of small uniform cells was seen. The nest contained nonrefractile dark spaces that may represent cuticuli. Many dendritic melanocytes containing melanin were intermingled with the tumor cells, and numerous melanophages were present in the upper dermis. A marked prominence of surrounding vessels was also demonstrated.
Conclusions:
CM could well demonstrate the features of a pigmented eccrine poroma, as correlated with transverse HE-stained sections. However, high reflectance signals from melanin had to be carefully considered before a definitive diagnosis could be made.
