Open Access

Exploring reflectance confocal microscopy as a non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital lichen sclerosus

  • Authors:
    • Despoina Kantere
    • Noora Neittaanmäki
    • Kristina Maltese
    • Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö
    • Petra Tunbäck
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  • Published online on: April 26, 2022     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2022.11337
  • Article Number: 410
  • Copyright: © Kantere et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The diagnosis of genital lichen sclerosus (LS) is often confirmed by obtaining a skin biopsy, which can lead to unwanted complications and is uncomfortable in the sensitive genital area. Thus, there is a need of finding novel, non‑invasive techniques that can rapidly and accurately diagnose LS. The present study investigated the potential for reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to diagnose LS compared with healthy penile skin and other common penile skin disorders in males. A total of 30 male patients, including patients with LS, nonspecific balanoposthitis, plasma cell balanitis and psoriasis, and healthy individuals were included and were subject to non‑invasive RCM investigation. Prominent fiber‑like structures, representing hyaline sclerosis, were observed in the RCM images for almost half of the patients. Differences between healthy penile skin and LS were confirmed by identifying the edged papillae on healthy skin and their absence or obscureness in patients with LS. Notably, RCM could detect the atypical honeycomb pattern referring to dysplasia in 1 patient with LS with penile intraepithelial neoplasia. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that RCM can detect sclerosis in penile LS. RCM can potentially become a valuable tool for monitoring patients with LS for dysplasia providing a useful non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital disorders.
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June-2022
Volume 23 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Kantere D, Neittaanmäki N, Maltese K, Larkö AW and Tunbäck P: Exploring reflectance confocal microscopy as a non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital lichen sclerosus. Exp Ther Med 23: 410, 2022.
APA
Kantere, D., Neittaanmäki, N., Maltese, K., Larkö, A.W., & Tunbäck, P. (2022). Exploring reflectance confocal microscopy as a non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital lichen sclerosus. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 23, 410. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2022.11337
MLA
Kantere, D., Neittaanmäki, N., Maltese, K., Larkö, A. W., Tunbäck, P."Exploring reflectance confocal microscopy as a non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital lichen sclerosus". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 23.6 (2022): 410.
Chicago
Kantere, D., Neittaanmäki, N., Maltese, K., Larkö, A. W., Tunbäck, P."Exploring reflectance confocal microscopy as a non‑invasive diagnostic tool for genital lichen sclerosus". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 23, no. 6 (2022): 410. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2022.11337