A practical and objective approach to scar colour assessment

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Scarring presents significant clinical challenges due to its wide phenotypic variability.
• Objective, reproducible scar assessment is crucial for monitoring wound healing and treatment efficacy.
• Scar colour is an important indicator of underlying biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Eykona® Wound Measurement System for objective scar colour analysis.
• To compare the system's colorimetric data with subjective scar grading using the Manchester Scar Scale (MSS).

Main Methods:

• Acquisition of 3D images for 43 surgical scars from 35 patients (3-6 months post-operation).
• Calculation of colour difference (ΔLab values) between scar and surrounding skin using the Eykona® system.
• Comparison of quantitative colorimetric results with subjective MSS gradings.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in ΔLab values were observed between MSS gradings of 'slight mismatch' and 'obvious mismatch' (p<0.025).
• Significant differences were also noted between 'obvious mismatch' and 'gross mismatch' (p<0.05).
• The Eykona® system generated objective, reproducible data without requiring specialist expertise.

Conclusions:

• The Eykona® Wound Measurement System offers a promising objective and reproducible method for scar assessment.
• The system's colorimetric analysis shows favorable comparison with the subjective Manchester Scar Scale.
• Further clinical validation with larger scar numbers is needed, but the system has potential for comprehensive quantitative scar characterization.