title: Rapid, noninvasive quantitation of skin disease in systemic sclerosis using optical coherence elastography.
abstract: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease that results in excessive accumulation of collagen in the skin and internal organs. Overall, SSc has a rare morbidity (276 cases per million adults in the United States), but has a 10-year survival rate of 55%. Currently, the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) is assessed by palpation on 17 sites on the body. However, the mRSS assessed score is subjective and may be influenced by the experience of the rheumatologists. In addition, the inherent elasticity of skin may bias the mRSS assessment in the early stage of SSc, such as oedematous. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is a rapidly emerging technique, which can assess mechanical contrast in tissues with micrometer spatial resolution. In this work, the OCE technique is applied to assess the mechanical properties of skin in both control and bleomycin (BLM) induced SSc-like disease noninvasively. Young’s modulus of the BLM-SSc skin was found be significantly higher than that of normal skin, in both the in vivo and in vitro studies (p<0.05 p<0.05 ). Thus, OCE is able to differentiate healthy and fibrotic skin using mechanical contrast. It is a promising new technology for quantifying skin involvement in SSc in a rapid, unbiased, and noninvasive manner.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Chih-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Manmohan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Jiasong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Texas Children's Hospital, Pathology & Immunology and Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 6621 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030, United States.
authors.forename: M John
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United StatescBaylor College of Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, United StatesdSamara State Aer.
authors.forename: Kirill V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Larin
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
authors.forename: Chandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012867:Skin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*