Alopecia Areata: Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography Features and Dermoscopy Correlation

    February 2024 in “ Skin research and technology ”
    Francesco Lacarrubba, Anna Elisa Verzì, Federica Dall’Oglio, Alessia Villani, Giuseppe Micali
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    TLDR LC-OCT is a promising tool for diagnosing and monitoring Alopecia areata.
    The study evaluated the use of Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT), a non-invasive imaging technique, in diagnosing and monitoring Alopecia areata (AA), a common non-scarring hair loss disorder. The study involved 65 patients (37 females and 28 males, aged 6-68 years) with AA. LC-OCT was used to examine the main dermoscopic findings in AA, including yellow dots, broken hairs, black dots, exclamation mark hairs, and vellus hairs. The study found that LC-OCT could visualize the follicular microscopic alterations underlying these dermoscopic features. For instance, yellow dots appeared as intrafollicular hyperreflective plugs, and the observation of regrowing vellus hairs could be useful to detect early treatment response. The study concluded that LC-OCT could be a promising tool in AA for enhanced diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment monitoring.
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