High resolution B-scan ultrasound of hypertrophic scars

Abstract

Background: Ultrasonography has provided the means for objective and non-invasive monitoring of the dynamics of some skin diseases. The pathologic scars (keloids and hypertrophic scars) that have an increased content of collagen, and have been not analyzed by high-frequency ultrasound so far. The purpose of the present study was to determine the ecographic features of these scars with a view in developing a reliable method for assessing the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches.

Methods: Six pathological scars from five patients were examined by a 20 MHz B-Scanner and compared with healthy skin of the same region. Densitometry analysis was performed with the aid of a dedicated software.

Results: All the pathologic scars studied showed an easily identified echo-poor image clearly demarcated from the surrounding not involved tissue. When they were analyzed by densitometry, the lesions had highly significant reduced densitometric values (7.6+/-4.7) compared with regional healthy skin (31.79+/-10.8).

Conclusion: The high-frequency ultrasonography is a suitable objective and non-invasive method for discriminating healthy from pathologic skin in hypertrophic scars and keloids.