Abstract
This function has been used to assess skin-thickness changes in a variety of skin
diseases such as scleroderma and morphea, photodamaged and chronologically aged
skin, and psoriasis. High-frequency ultrasound is used to analyze the ultrastructure
in chronic wounds, hypertrophic scars, keloids, and normal surrounding skin (16).
The parameters investigated are the depth between skin surface and the inner limit
of the dermis and the tissue density. The depth measurement, expressed in
millimeters, gives an estimate of wound volume and scar thickness. Compared with
photography, US can be applied to easily monitor the progression of wound repair
giving indications on dimensional changes related to wound volume (17). Ultrasonography is characterized by the high echogenicity of the dermis, which is sharp compared to a hypoechogenicity of subcutaneous fat. This technique allows an accurate
determination of granulation, sloughy=necrotic tissue, and the physical dimensions
of ulcers while also providing an index to the structural components of the ulcer (18).
4. LASER DOPPLER SYSTEMS