gms | German Medical Science

27. Jahrestagung der Deutschsprachigen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Verbrennungsbehandlung (DAV 2009)

14.01. bis 17.01.2009, Leogang, Österreich

In vivo determination of superficial-partial thickness burn injuries by confocal-laserscanning microscopy

Meeting Abstract

  • M. A. Altintas - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
  • P. Amini - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany
  • W. Perbix - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany
  • V. Phan - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany
  • P. Theodouru - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany
  • A. A. Altintas - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany
  • G. Spilker - Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Centre, University Witten Campus, Cologne, Germany

DAV 2009. 27. Jahrestagung der deutschsprachigen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Verbrennungsbehandlung. Leogang, Österreich, 14.-17.01.2009. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2009. Doc09dav10

doi: 10.3205/09dav10, urn:nbn:de:0183-09dav106

Published: March 19, 2009

© 2009 Altintas et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Objective: The current determination of burn depth is based both on a visual and clinical assessment.

Confocal-laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) enables to determine in vivo histomorphological images. We hypothesized that CLSM can differentiate superficialpartial vs. deep-partial thickness burns on a histomorphological level.

Methods: 38 burn wounds in fourteen patients were clinically divided in three groups from superficial-(group1), superficial-partial-(group2) to deep-partial-(group3)thickness burns. CLSM was performed with the Vivascope1500 (Lucid Inc, Rochester, New-York; USA) 24h after burn injury. Following parameters were assessed: cell size of the granular-layer, thickness of the basal-layer, minimal thickness of the epidermis, number of perfused dermal-papillae.

Results: Superficial burns resulted in a significant increase of the cell size of the granular-layer and a higher increase of the minimal thickness of the epidermis as in superficial-partial-thickness burns. The granularlayer in partial- thickness burns was destroyed. Superficial burns had an increased thickness of the basal-layer; in superficial- partial-thickness burns the basal-layer was partly destroyed with complete destruction in deep-partial-thickness burns. In superficial burns the perfused dermal-papillae were increased significantly, while decreased in superficial-partial-thickness, and completely destroyed in deep-partial-thickness burns up to a depth of 350µm.

Conclusions: In vivo confocal-laser-scanning microscopy can differentiate superficial-partial vs. deep-partial thickness burns on a histomorphological level.