Cutaneous 10 MHz ultrasound B scan allows the quantitative assessment of burn depth

Alterations in the epidermis and dermis after a scald burn (deep dermal wound) are sonographically displayed by different echo reflections. Histological slide preparations from various layers of healthy skin were studied to check the ultrasound analysis. Echo reflections of high and low density showed a close correlation to real anatomical structures in the histological slides. The 10-MHz B scan allows the differentiation of 0.1 mm. Heat causes an increase in dermal thickness of between 50 and 100 per cent for the period between 1 and 6 h after injury. Identifying the layers corresponding to the histological slides makes it is possible to measure the distance between the interfaces. This improves the quantitative assessment of both the depth and the area of thermal injury.