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Vascularity and fractal dimension of the dermo-epidermal interface in guttate and plaque-type psoriasis
Isabelle Uhoda1, Gérald E Piérard, Claudine Piérard-Franchimont
1Department of Dermatopathology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Background:
Histological structures of the skin are often irregular in size and shape. Euclidean geometry and fractal analysis are complementary for assessing distinct aspects of their dimensions.
Objective:
To determine and compare the variations in shape of the dermo-epidermal junction and the size of the superficial vessels in psoriatic lesions.
Method:
The relative microvasculature area and the fractal dimension D of the dermo-epidermal interface were measured inside and outside growth-stunted guttate lesions (n = 22) and expanding plaques (n = 37) in psoriasis of the trunk.
Results:
The median D values of the dermo-epidermal interface were significantly larger (p < 0.01) in psoriatic plaques (D = 1.15) than in guttate lesions (D = 1.08), and these D values on lesional skin were significantly larger (p < 0.01) than in the uninvolved skin (D = 1.03). The microvasculature was significantly (p < 0.01) more developed in lesional (plaque: 13%, guttate: 8.20%) than in uninvolved skin (3.60 and 3.85%). No correlations were found between the relative microvasculature areas and the D values of the dermo-epidermal interface, both in the uninvolved and lesional skins of each psoriatic type.
Conclusion:
The absence of a relationship between modulations of the dermo-epidermal junction and vascular hyperplasia, both in expanding and stable psoriasis lesions, suggests that these events are regulated by different mechanisms and do not depend on each other.
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