Study of microcirculation in oral lichen planus by video-capillaroscopy

The aim of this study was to evaluate "in vivo" the oral microcirculatory characteristics in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and to discover any differences in microcirculation in comparison with healthy patients.

Twenty patients with established diagnosis of OLP and 20 healthy patients were examined in our laboratory by means of contact optical probe videocapillaroscopy. The examined areas for each patient were the right and the left buccal mucosae. Capillary density and total capillary diameter, as well as afferent and efferent loop diameter were studied; the discovery of characteristic (tortuous, branched) loops was also investigated.

The results were observed by 2 different researchers using the capillaroscope's software. Capillary density and the diameter of the afferent and efferent ansa were found to be significantly increased in OLP patients compared with controls. There was also a significant difference between the study of capillary tortuousity and the discovery of characteristic branched loops, indicating angiogenesis.

Our methodology allowed an in vivo observation of the angiogenesis. Angiogenesis was interpreted as an increase in capillary density, total vascular caliber, and afferent and efferent loop caliber; the discovery of tortuous, branched loops, indicating the angiogenic phenomenon in vivo, was particularly significant. The capillaroscopy in correspondence with the lesion can be a very important method in the evaluation of the microcirculation of the patients suffering from OLP.