Blood perfusion in hypertrophic scars and keloids studied by laser speckle contrast imaging

BACKGROUND: This study used laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) to evaluate the difference in blood perfusion between hypertrophic scars and keloids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 keloids, 21 early hypertrophic scars, 20 proliferative hypertrophic scars, 20 regressive hypertrophic scars, and 20 mature hypertrophic scars were enrolled into this study. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was assessed by a plastic surgeon. LSCI was used to evaluate perfusion of the whole (W), marginal (M), central (C) regions, and surrounding normal skin of the scars, and ratios (M/N, C/N) were calculated. RESULTS: The perfusion of the marginal region in the keloid was significantly higher than that of the central region. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in perfusion between the central and marginal regions in the early, proliferative, regressive, and mature hypertrophic scars. The degree of perfusion and perfusion ratio in the marginal region of keloid was similar to that of proliferative hypertrophic scars, and the degree of perfusion and perfusion ratio in central region of keloid group was similar to that of early and regressive hypertrophic scars. CONCLUSIONS: The difference in perfusion distribution in keloids and hypertrophic scars may provide ideas for their identification. LSCI may be a useful method for differentiating between keloids and hypertrophic scars.