Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography: A New Skin Imaging Technique Reproducing a “Virtual Biopsy” with Evolving Clinical Applications in Dermatology
Simone Cappilli,
Andrea Paradisi,
Alessandro Di Stefani,
Gerardo Palmisano,
Luca Pellegrino,
Martina D’Onghia,
Costantino Ricci,
Linda Tognetti,
Anna Elisa Verzì,
Pietro Rubegni,
Veronique Del Marmol,
Francesco Lacarrubba,
Elisa Cinotti,
Mariano Suppa,
Ketty Peris
Affiliations
Simone Cappilli
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Andrea Paradisi
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Di Stefani
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Gerardo Palmisano
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Luca Pellegrino
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Martina D’Onghia
Dermatology Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Costantino Ricci
Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Linda Tognetti
Dermatology Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Anna Elisa Verzì
Dermatology Clinic, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
Pietro Rubegni
Dermatology Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Veronique Del Marmol
Department of Dermatology, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Francesco Lacarrubba
Dermatology Clinic, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
Elisa Cinotti
Dermatology Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Mariano Suppa
Department of Dermatology, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Ketty Peris
Dermatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Background: Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography is a novel technology able to reproduce a “virtual biopsy” of the skin. The aim of this review is to explore the application of line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) in various skin diseases, covering skin cancers, inflammatory and infectious skin diseases, genetic diseases, cosmetic procedures, and less common disorders. Methods: Study selection was conducted based on LC-OCT and using pertinent MeSh terms, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines from inception to March 2024; to evaluate the quality and risk of bias of studies, Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) was used. Results: the search retrieved 154 papers according to the selection criteria; after removing publications by one or more of the exclusion criteria, a total of 96 studies were found to be suitable for the analysis. Conclusions: Increasing evidence supports the use of LC-OCT as an adjunctive diagnostic tool for the in vivo diagnosis of a variety of skin tumors. As this device can be considered a “bridge” between dermoscopy and histopathology, widening applications in numerous fields of clinical dermatology, including inflammatory skin disease treatment, presurgical mapping, cosmetic procedures, and monitoring of non-invasive therapies, have been explored.
