High-Frequency Ultrasonography of the Scalp: A Comparison Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Healthy Volunteers

This study compared high-frequency ultrasonography parameters of hair follicle-related structures between 30 patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and 30 healthy volunteers. The AGA group exhibited significantly thinner entire scalp and subcutaneous tissue thickness, fewer hair follicles, narrower average follicle width, shorter average follicle length, and fewer instances of colorful blood flow signals in the subcutaneous tissue compared to the control group. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for parameter measurements indicated a high level of agreement between observers, suggesting that high-frequency ultrasonography is a reliable tool for assessing hair follicle structures in AGA. The study highlights the potential of ultrasonography as a non-invasive method for diagnosing superficial scalp lesions, offering an alternative to invasive tissue biopsies. However, it notes limitations such as the lack of histological data and the need for larger, multicenter studies.