Multiphoton imaging and OCT MA for diagnosis of human melanocytic lesions

摘要

The clinical diagnosis of melanocytic lesions is an ongoing medical challenge. Non-invasive tools and technologies canhelp to distinguish equivocal lesions. The aim of the study was to improve the in vivo diagnostic possibilities for thedifferentiation of benign and malignant melanocytic lesions based on combination of three imaging label-free modalities(multiphoton tomography, fluorescence lifetime imaging and optical coherence angiography). Thirty-two melanocyticlesions were studied, using multiphoton tomography, fluorescence lifetime imaging and optical coherence angiography.Multiphoton tomography features of benign melanocytic nevi were characterized by the normal morphology of both thekeratinocytes and the nevus cell nests surrounded by collagen. Dysplastic nevi were characterized by their increasedintercellular distances and enlarged cell nuclei. Melanomas showed the presence of melanocytes and dendritic structuresin all layers of the epidermis. Analysis of the metabolic state revealed that melanomas and dysplastic nevi werecharacterized by enhanced glycolysis. Optical coherence angiography shows that benign nevi had regular vascularnetworks and equal numbers of thin and thick vessels. Vascular networks of dysplastic nevi were characterized thincurved vessels. Thick irregular spiral vessels formed a dense microvascular network of melanomas.