ABSTRACT

Imaging cutaneous ulcers to detect the progression of a disease is a routine part of medical practice. Although imaging technology has continuously evolved over the years in all fields of medicine, its direct application to cutaneous disorders has increased only in recent years. In fact, only over the past decade has significant research been undertaken to further develop techniques for specifically examining the skin. Advances in both the technology of imaging and computer systems have greatly supported this process and brought it closer to the clinical area (1). Assessment of any wound should begin with the determination of the extent of the wound. Because the extent of a wound is a dynamic process, it requires repeated systematic assessment. The total wound extent is based on the wound dimensions and the tissue level involved. The clinical evaluation of the extent of the tissue involvement due to a skin lesion and, moreover, the way a lesion evolves over time are often assessed according to the common sense and memory of the clinician. Evaluations are, in general, performed on the basis of clinical experience and using very basic, low-tech equipments to make objective measurements. The determination of the extent of a wound may also be accomplished by noninvasive and invasive technologies. Noninvasive wound assessment includes the measurement of perimeter, maximum dimensions of length and width, surface area, volume, amount of undermining, and determination of tissue viability (2). Invasive methods may be necessary to quantify the extent of a wound. The tissue involvement in a wound must be defined from its surface to its depth and may vary depending on the organs involved. The total wound extent should be determined by means of the integration of the maximum possible amount of available data.