title: Non-invasive evaluation of therapeutic response in keloid scar using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.
abstract: The pathogenesis and ideal treatment of keloid are still largely unknown, and it is essential to develop an objective assessment of keloid severity to evaluate the therapeutic response. We previously reported that our diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system could assist clinicians in understanding the functional and structural condition of keloid scars. The purpose of this study was to understand clinical applicability of our DRS system on evaluating the scar severity and therapeutic response of keloid. We analyzed 228 spectral data from 71 subjects with keloid scars. The scars were classified into mild (0-3), moderate (4-7) and severe (8-11) according to the Vancouver scar scale. We found that as the severity of the scar increased, collagen concentration and water content increased, and the reduced scattering coefficient at 800 nm and oxygen saturation (SaO2) decreased. Using the DRS system, we found that collagen bundles aligned in a specific direction in keloid scars, but not in normal scars. Water content and SaO2 may be utilized as reliable parameters for evaluating the therapeutic response of keloid. In conclusion, the results obtained here suggest that the DRS has potential as an objective technique with which to evaluate keloid scar severity. In addition, it may be useful as a tool with which to track longitudinal response of scars in response to various therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.
authors.forename: Chao-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.
authors.forename: Shih-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tzeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Chun
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Julia Yu-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lynn Ling-Huei
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wan-Rung
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan ; Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sheng-Hao
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tseng
keywords: (170.4580) Optical diagnostics for medicine; (170.5280) Photon migration; (170.6510) Spectroscopy, tissue diagnostics; (290.1990) Diffusion