Changes in subjective vs objective burn scar assessment over time: does the patient agree with what we think?

It is not known whether objective measurements of burn scar quality reflect, or even bear any relationship to, the patient's opinion of their scar. The purpose of this study was to determine whether any correlation exists between the rehabilitation therapist's rating of the scar using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and the patient's subjective opinion of their scar. A total of 37 scars in 20 adult patients (mean age, 34 +/- 13 years; 30% female; mean %TBSA burn, 16 +/- 11%) were evaluated at 3.1 +/- 1.9 months after injury (early assessment). Patients were asked to rate their own scar (question 1) and to rate how they perceive other people view the scar (question 2). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to score the answers to both questions. A burn occupational therapist who was blinded to the VAS scores performed a VSS rating of the scar. These evaluations were repeated 1.5 years after injury (late assessment). At the early assessment, there was no correlation between the VSS score and VAS scores for question 1 (r =.291) or question 2 (r =.371). At the late assessment, there was significant improvement in the VSS score and the VAS score for question 2. Also, a significant correlation developed between the VSS score and the VAS score for question 1 (r =.646, P =.003) but not between the VSS score and VAS score for question 2 (r =.099). The VSS measurement of the scar bears no relationship to the patient's opinion of their scar early after a burn injury. As the scar improves over time, the patient's opinion of their scar appears to improve and shows better correlation with the VSS rating. Conversely, the patient's impression of what others think of the scar continues to bear no relationship to the VSS rating, suggesting that scar acceptance by the patient is incomplete despite objective improvement in the quality of the scar. Although the VSS was never intended to measure a patient's opinion of their scar, these preliminary findings emphasize the necessity of including a patient-centered subjective component to routine scar monitoring and assessment.     

Exploration of nonsurgical scar modification options: can the irregular surface of matured mesh graft scars be smoothed with microdermabrasion?

The purpose of this study was to determine, in principle, whether microdermabrasion can alter waffle-pattern (meshed split-thickness skin graft) burn scars after scar maturation. Matured waffle-pattern mesh-graft scars were treated with multiple microdermabrasion sessions over the course of a year (maximum 20). Before and after treatment, the treated scars and the control scar on the same patient were assessed with subjective and objective scar assessment tools (scar scales, cutometer [elasticity], laser Doppler flowmeter [vascularity], Semmes-Weinstein filaments [sensation], and high-resolution ultrasound [thickness]). The treatment resulted in continuous improvement of some physiologic skin functions like perfusion response (feedback), thickness, and elasticity when compared with nontreated scar, although no statistical significance was reached. Both Vancouver scar scale and patient assessment scales showed significant improvement. The study showed that even mature waffle pattern scars can be modified by minimally invasive interventions. Larger study groups and more economic treatment modalities need to be studied in the future.     

Development of a Histomorphologic Scale to Quantify Cutaneous Scars after Burns

OBJECTIVE: Cutaneous wound healing in adults invariably results in scarring; however, there are few scales to quantify the degree of such scarring. The authors developed a histomorphologic scale for quantifying scarring after cutaneous burn injury. METHODS: As part of a randomized trial comparing a variety of burn therapies, 40 partial-thickness burns were created on the backs and flanks of anesthetized pigs and treated with a tissue adhesive, antibiotic ointment, occlusive dressing, or dry gauze. Gross scar appearance was independently assessed by two investigators at 90 days on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) marked "best appearance" at the high end. One of the investigators repeated the observation 30 days later. Full-thickness biopsies were taken 90 days after injury and evaluated histologically by a dermatopathologist for the presence of hyperkeratosis, epidermal hyperplasia, presence and depth of scar (defined as abnormally oriented collagen under polarized light), fibroplasia, vascular proliferation, and absence of adnexa, including hair follicles, apocrine glands, and smooth muscles. One point was assigned for each category in the presence of a normal finding, whereas an abnormal finding was assigned a score of zero. The normal dermis (absence of abnormal collagen) was given a score of 3, while decreasing scores of 2 to 0 were given for progressively deeper scars (i.e., 2 for papillary dermis, 1 for upper half of reticular dermis, and 0 for deep dermal lower half). The total histomorphologic score was derived by adding the scores on the individual items. The score ranges from 0 to 10 from worst scarring to absence of scarring, respectively. A subset of observations was evaluated a second time by one of the observers one month later. Intraobserver reliability of the histomorphologic scale was assessed with Spearman's correlation. Inter- and intraobserver Pearson's correlations for the gross scar VAS were calculated, and the correlation between gross and histomorphologic scores was assessed. RESULTS: Intraobserver correlation for individual histomorphologic categories ranged from 0.19 to 1.00. Intraobserver correlation for the total histologic score was 0.95. Inter- and intraobserver correlations for the gross scar VAS were 0.8 each. Correlation between the histomorphologic scale and the gross scar VAS was 0.38. CONCLUSIONS: A new reliable histomorphologic method for quantifying and scoring cutaneous scars is described together with a reliable scar VAS. However, these two scales are not highly correlated.     

Microcirculation in hypertrophic scars after burn injury

Hypertrophic scar formation is a common complication after burn injury. Early active scars show hyperemic appearances that change as the scar matures. This is a report on microcirculation in hypertrophic scars after burn injury among 50 Chinese patients with a laser Doppler flowmeter. The average period of follow-up for the patients was 20 months. The microcirculatory response in scars to vasodilation (heat) stimulus was studied. Significant differences (p less than 0.0001) were demonstrated between scars of different clinical grades of maturity when compared with normal skin. The qualitative and quantitative differences in microcirculatory blood flow were correlated with site variations and different physiologic demands from different grades of scars. The study showed that laser Doppler flowmetry was useful in the clinical grading assessment of or for scar maturity.     

瘢痕移除后瘢痕皮回植原位皮肤再生治疗增生性瘢痕

背景:已有的研究表明原位皮肤再生法可使深Ⅱ度以内烧伤创面和供皮区刨面生理愈合无瘢痕,可促进Ⅲ度烧伤创面坏死组织液化排除、移植皮生长、减少减轻瘢痕,在瘢痕移除创面使用原位皮肤再生法以达到明显减轻瘢痕症状、减少瘢痕的效果,未见相关报道.目的:观察搬痕移除原位皮肤再生法治疗增生性瘢痕的效果.方法:选择烧伤或刨伤后出现多处增生性瘢痕的患者32例,男25例,女7例;年龄16～52岁;瘢痕病程1～11年.每例选择2处瘢痕相似的部位,进行自身对照.实验组采用瘢痕移除、瘢痕皮回植后应用美宝湿润烧伤膏药纱覆盖的原位皮肤再生法治疗:对照组采用瘢痕移除、瘢痕皮回植后应用传统凡士林覆盖治疗.观察比较疗效,应用温哥华瘢痕评估量表评估瘢痕增生情况.结果与结论:两组回植的瘢痕皮均成活.实验组创而愈合速度和质量优于对照组(P<0.05):瘢痕移除后6个月,实验组温哥华瘢痕评估量表评估均优于对照组(户<0.05,P<0.01),瘢痕所致的疼痛、瘙痒等症状消失,皮片平整且颜色较回植前明显改善,与周围皮肤接近.结果提示对自体皮源不足、瘢痕面积大的增生性瘢痕患者或不愿增加新的供皮区创面患者,应用瘢痕移除瘢痕皮回植原位皮肤再生的方法治疗是一种较理想的方法.     

A polarized multispectral imaging system for quantitative assessment of hypertrophic scars

Hypertrophic scars (HTS) are a pathologic reaction of the skin and soft tissue to burn or other traumatic injury. Scar tissue can cause patients serious functional and cosmetic issues. Scar management strategies, specifically scar assessment techniques, are vital to improve clinical outcome. To date, no entirely objective method for scar assessment has been embraced by the medical community. In this study, we introduce for the first time, a novel polarized multispectral imaging system combining out-of-plane Stokes polarimetry and Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI). This imaging system enables us to assess the pathophysiology (hemoglobin, blood oxygenation, water, and melanin) and structural features (cellularity and roughness) of HTS. To apply the proposed technique in an in vivo experiment, dermal wounds were created in a porcine model and allowed to form into scars. The developed scars were then measured at various time points using the imaging system. Results showed a good agreement with clinical Vancouver Scar Scale assessment and histological examinations.OCIS codes: (110.0110) Imaging systems, (110.4234) Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging     

A Novel,Reliable Protocol to Objectively Assess Scar Stiffness Using Shear Wave Elastography

The aim of this research was to investigate the use of shear wave elastography as a novel tool to quantify and visualize scar stiffness after a burn. Increased scar stiffness is indicative of pathologic scarring which is associated with persistent pain, chronic itch and restricted range of movement. Fifty-five participants with a total of 96 scars and 69 contralateral normal skin sites were evaluated. A unique protocol was developed to enable imaging of the raised and uneven burn scars. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient >0.97), and test–retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation coefficient >0.85). Shear wave elastography was able to differentiate between normal skin, pathologic scars and non-pathologic scars, with preliminary cutoff values identified. Significant correlations were found between shear wave velocity and subjective clinical scar assessment (r = 0.66). Shear wave elastography was able to provide unique information associated with pathologic scarring and shows promise as a clinical assessment and research tool.     

Analysis of gene expression patterns in human postburn hypertrophic scars

Hypertrophic scars cause cosmetic disfigurement and limited mobility in burn patients. To better understand the molecular pathophysiology of hypertrophic scar formation, microarray analyses were performed on normal skin and hypertrophic scars from four burn patients. Microarray analyses were determined in an effort to identify genes whose expression discriminated between normal skin and mature, hypertrophic scars. Surgical biopsies were obtained from two pediatric and two adult patients 6 to 15 months after burn injury. Total RNA was isolated from the samples and subjected to microarray analysis using the Affymetrix U95Av2 GeneChip. Results from this analysis revealed 31 probe sets representing genes that were consistently up-regulated at least two-fold in hypertrophic scar specimens from all four patients and four probe sets that were down-regulated. The significance analysis of microarrays algorithm also identified 35 probe sets whose increased expression resulted in the hierarchal clustering of the hypertrophic scar and normal tissue, seven of which were identical to the six genes identified by paired analyses. These six genes all displayed elevated levels of expression in the scar tissue. Proteins encoded by the genes identified included germline oligometric matrix protein, matrix metalloproteinase-16, collagen type 1alpha, pleiotrophin, and thrombospondin-4. Although the results presented here suggest that there may be unique patterns of gene expression in hypertrophic scars that may be important in the evaluation and treatment of hypertrophic scarring, the results must be confirmed with larger datasets.     

聚氨酯泡沫敷料在点阵激光治疗面颈部增生性瘢痕辅助治疗中的疗效观察

目的 探讨聚氨酯泡沫敷料在点阵激光治疗面部增生性瘢痕术后辅助治疗中的疗效.方法 回顾我科2018年9月至2020年12月面部烧伤后增生性瘢痕在烧伤创面愈合后3个月内采用二氧化碳点阵激光+压力治疗和二氧化碳点阵激光+聚氨酯泡沫敷料+压力治疗的86例患者,采用温哥华瘢痕量表(vancouver scar scale,vss...     

应用弹性测量仪和超声波评价烧伤后增生瘢痕的粘弹性

目的：研究应用弹性测量仪和超声波测量评价烧伤后增生瘢痕的变化。方法：自1995年1月起，长期随访18例随机选择的烧伤患者（年龄为1－60岁），应用皮肤弹性测量仪及超声波影像对患者每月测量一次皮肤在负压吸引作用下的最大变形度（R0）和粘弹性指数（R8），比较增生瘢痕与身体对侧相应部位测量的区别，并将检查结果与传统临床分度方法进行比较分析。同时也对皮肤弹性值与临床观察的瘢痕硬度进行相关性分析。结果：烧伤后增生瘢痕的R8＞0．193时，临床硬度分度也较高（9％为0度，14％为1度，30％为2度，46％为3度，83％为4度）。结论：R8＞1．93被定为预后数值，大于该数值者需要密切随访。     

Effects of a Skin Rehabilitation Nursing Program on Skin Status,Depression, and Burn‐Specific Health in Burn Survivors

The objective of this study was to identify the effects of a skin rehabilitation nursing program (SRNP) on skin status, depression, and burn‐specific health in Korean burn survivors. A pretest‐posttest design with a nonequivalent control group was used to examine the effects of SRNP for 3 months in a group of 26 burn survivors. The SRNP group of 13 burn survivors received massage therapy 30 minutes three times a week for 3 months compared to a control group of 13 burn survivors receiving typical care. The SRNP group showed no significant changes in the burn scar, subjective skin status, depression, or burn‐specific health. Burn survivors receiving SRNP had reduced burn scar depth after the intervention compared to the control group. The findings of this study demonstrate that SRNP for burn survivors may improve burn scars, and findings suggest that future studies with a larger sample should be conducted using SRNP as an intervention for burn survivors.     

自体富血小板血浆凝胶修复儿童面部Ⅱ度烧伤创面

背景：富血小板血浆可用凝血酶凝固成胶冻状,不仅可以黏合组织缺损处,还可以防止血小板流失,使血小板在局部长时间分泌生长因子,避免了目前广泛应用于临床的液态重组生长因子试剂在伤口及移植区易流失易蒸发的缺点。目的：观察外用自体富血小板血浆在儿童面部Ⅱ度烧伤创面修复过程中的治疗作用。方法：选择2008-01/2010-01在广西昭平县人民医院外科收治的14岁以下面部浅Ⅱ度烧伤、深Ⅱ度烧伤儿童各30例。均以左侧面部为治疗组,右侧为对照组。伤后第3天,治疗组将自体富血小板血浆凝胶直接湿敷于创面上半暴露,换药1次/d;对照组创面单用等渗盐水纱布覆盖半暴露,换药1次/d。干预7,14d观察两组患者创面愈合率、愈合时间、疼痛与瘢痕情况及不良反应。采用目测类比评分法评估疼痛情况,改良温哥华瘢痕测量法测定深Ⅱ度创面瘢痕增生情况。结果与结论：在浅Ⅱ度烧伤创面患者中,治疗组7d愈合率明显高于对照组（P〈0.05）,愈合时间明显短于对照组（P〈0.05）;在深Ⅱ度烧伤创面患者中,治疗组14d愈合率明显高于对照组（P〈0.05）,愈合时间显短于对照组（P〈0.05）,瘢痕指数明显低于对照组（P〈0.05）;两组患者创面疼痛评分无明显差别。说明外用自体富血小板血浆凝胶能显著加快儿童面部Ⅱ度烧伤创面愈合速度,缩短愈合时间,提高愈合质量,减少瘢痕形成,无明显不良反应。     

Quantification of Pediatric Burn Scar Stiffness Using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Ultrasound Elastography

The purpose of this study was to quantify the stiffness of hypertrophic scars using acoustic radiation force impulse ultrasound elastography. Sixteen pediatric patients with hypertrophic scars resulting from burn injuries participated in this study (mean age: 5.13, standard deviation: 3.20). Values for the elastic modulus (E) of scar and control sites were obtained. Scarred areas were found to be almost four times stiffer than control sites (scar E_mean = 39.29 kPa compared with control E_mean = 10.19 kPa) (p = 0.0004). Correlations between scar stiffness and clinician-reported subjective scar scale scores were not observed (r_s = 0.30, p = 0.27 and r_s = 0.25, p = 0.35 respectively). We found that acoustic radiation force impulse imaging can discriminate between hypertrophic scars and normal skin and should be considered a potentially valuable tool in the armamentarium of objective scar measures. Future research should focus on evaluating the technology's ability to detect scar change over time in order to determine responsiveness to treatment.     

烧伤后瘢痕整形患者反刍性沉思、家庭关怀度与创伤后成长水平的相关性分析

目的探究烧伤后瘢痕整形患者反刍性沉思、家庭关怀度与创伤后成长水平的相关性。方法选择我院2018年3月至2020年3月收治的烧伤后瘢痕整形患者100例,借助一般资料调查患者基础信息,借助创伤后成长量表、家庭关怀度指数问卷、事件相关反刍性沉思问卷进行调查,经Pearson相关性检验分析烧伤后瘢痕整形患者反刍性沉思、家庭关怀度与创伤后成长水平的相关性,通过多因素logistic回归分析确定烧伤后瘢痕整形患者创伤后成长水平的相关影响因素。结果经量表评价得到,烧伤后瘢痕整形患者创伤后成长水平得分为(78.59±2.35)分;经Pearson相关性得到,烧伤后瘢痕整形患者反刍性沉思、家庭关怀度与创伤后成长水平均呈正相关性(r=0.394,P<0.001;r=0.485,P=0.014);通过多因素logistic回归分析得到,烧伤后瘢痕整形患者创伤后成长水平的相关影响因素有文化水平低、重度烧伤、外观或功能部位瘢痕、入侵性反刍沉思、低家庭关怀度(P<0.05)。结论烧伤后瘢痕整形患者创伤后成长处于中等水平,且其与反刍性沉思、家庭关怀度呈正相关性,临床应加强对文化水平低、入侵性反刍沉思、家庭功能差患者的关注,并强化护理干预。     

The effect of silicone gel sheets on perfusion of hypertrophic burn scars

The mechanism of action of topical silicone gel sheets on hypertrophic scars is not well understood and their effect on the blood flow within hypertrophic scars has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine whether application of silicone gel sheets produced any acute effects on blood flow in hypertrophic burn scars. Perfusion of hypertrophic scars and adjacent normal skin was measured using a laser Doppler with and without application of silicone gel sheets. Continuous measurements were made for 5 minutes before gel application, for 30 minutes during gel application and for 5 minutes following gel removal. Surface temperature of the scar was continuously monitored. An occupational therapist, blinded to the perfusion level, rated each scar using the Vancouver Scar Scale. Eighteen scars and adjacent control sites in sixteen adult burn patients (11 male, 5 female; mean age: 42 +/- 14 years) were evaluated. The mean scar age was 5.4 +/- 3.7 months. The mean Vancouver Scar Scale was 5.5 +/- 2.4. Hypertrophic scars demonstrated higher perfusion measurements at baseline compared to control areas (58.5 +/- 19.3 flux units vs 25.0 +/- 8.4 flux units; P < 0.001). Application of silicone sheeting gel did not significantly alter perfusion in either the hypertrophic scar or normal tissue from the baseline measurements. However, application of silicone gel sheeting did significantly increase the mean baseline surface temperature of the hypertrophic scar from 29 +/- 0.8 degrees C to 30.7 +/- 0.6 degrees C (P < 0.001). The mechanism of action of silicone gel sheeting probably does not involve an acute alteration in blood flow within the scar. However, surface temperature of the scar increased significantly following gel application, raising the possibility that temperature alteration is involved in the mechanism of action.     

Towards quantifying the aesthetic outcomes of breast cancer treatment: comparison of clinical photography and colorimetry

Rationale, aims and objectives Scarring is a significant cause of dissatisfaction for women who undergo breast surgery. Scar tissue may be clinically distinguished from normal skin by aberrant colour, rough surface texture, increased thickness (hypertrophy) and firmness. Colorimeters or spectrophotometers can be used to quantitatively assess scar colour, but they require direct patient interaction and can cost thousands of dollars. By comparison, digital photography is already in widespread use to document clinical outcomes and requires less patient interaction. Thus, assessment of scar coloration by digital photography is an attractive alternative. The goal of this study was to compare colour measurements obtained by digital photography and colorimetry. Methods Agreements between photographic and colorimetric measurements of colour were evaluated. Experimental conditions were controlled by performing measurements on artificial scars created by a make‐up artist. The colorimetric measurements of the artificial scars were compared with those reported in the literature for real scars in order to confirm the validity of this approach. We assessed the agreement between the colorimetric and photographic measurements of colour using a hypothesis test for equivalence, the intraclass correlation coefficient and the Bland–Altman method. Results Overall, good agreement was obtained for three parameters (L*a*b*) measured by colorimetry and photography from the results of three statistical analyses. Conclusion Colour measurements obtained by digital photography were equivalent to those obtained using colorimetry. Thus, digital photography is a reliable, cost‐effective measurement method of skin colour and should be further investigated for quantitative analysis of surgical outcomes.     

A clinimetric overview of scar assessment scales

Standardized validated evaluation instruments are mandatory to increase the level of evidence in scar management. Scar assessment scales are potentially suitable for this purpose, but the most appropriate scale still needs to be determined. This review will elaborate on several clinically relevant scar features and critically discuss the currently available scar scales in terms of basic clinimetric requirements. Many current scales can produce reliable measurements but seem to require multiple observers to obtain these results reliably, which limits their feasibility in clinical practice. The validation process of scar scales is hindered by the lack of a "gold standard" in subjective scar assessment or other reliable objective instruments which are necessary for a good comparison. The authors conclude that there are scar scales available that can reliably measure scar quality. However, further research may lead to improvement of their clinimetric properties and enhance the level of evidence in scar research worldwide.     

Myocardial scar identification based on analysis of Look–Locker and 3D late gadolinium enhanced MRI

The aim of this study is to introduce and evaluate an approach for objective and reproducible scar identification from late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) MR by analysis of LGE data with post-contrast T₁ mapping from a routinely acquired T₁ scout Look–Locker (LL) sequence. In 90 post-infarction patients, a LL sequence was acquired prior to a three-dimensional LGE sequence covering the entire left ventricle. In 60/90 patients (training set), the T₁ relaxation rates of remote myocardium and dense myocardial scar were linearly regressed to that of blood. The learned linear relationship was applied to 30/90 patients (validation set) to identify the remote myocardium and dense scar, and to normalize the LGE signal intensity to a range from 0 to 100 %. A 50 % threshold was applied to identify myocardial scar. In the validation set, two observers independently performed manual scar identification, annotated reference regions for the full-width-half-maxima (FWHM) and standard deviation (SD) method, and analyzed the LL sequence for the proposed method. Compared with the manual, FWHM, and SD methods, the proposed method demonstrated the highest inter-class correlation coefficient (0.997) and Dice overlap index (98.7 ± 1.3 %) between the two observers. The proposed method also showed excellent agreement with the gold-standard manual scar identification, with a Dice index of 89.8 ± 7.5 and 90.2 ± 6.6 % for the two observers, respectively. Combined analysis of LL and LGE sequences leads to objective and reproducible myocardial scar identification in post-infarction patients.     

Non-invasive evaluation of therapeutic response in keloid scar using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

The pathogenesis and ideal treatment of keloid are still largely unknown, and it is essential to develop an objective assessment of keloid severity to evaluate the therapeutic response. We previously reported that our diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system could assist clinicians in understanding the functional and structural condition of keloid scars. The purpose of this study was to understand clinical applicability of our DRS system on evaluating the scar severity and therapeutic response of keloid. We analyzed 228 spectral data from 71 subjects with keloid scars. The scars were classified into mild (0-3), moderate (4-7) and severe (8-11) according to the Vancouver scar scale. We found that as the severity of the scar increased, collagen concentration and water content increased, and the reduced scattering coefficient at 800 nm and oxygen saturation (SaO₂) decreased. Using the DRS system, we found that collagen bundles aligned in a specific direction in keloid scars, but not in normal scars. Water content and SaO₂ may be utilized as reliable parameters for evaluating the therapeutic response of keloid. In conclusion, the results obtained here suggest that the DRS has potential as an objective technique with which to evaluate keloid scar severity. In addition, it may be useful as a tool with which to track longitudinal response of scars in response to various therapeutic interventions.OCIS codes: (170.5280) Photon migration, (170.4580) Optical diagnostics for medicine, (170.6510) Spectroscopy, tissue diagnostics, (290.1990) Diffusion