Possibilities of applying laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and Doppler flowmetry methods in the case of plaque morphea

Background. According to modern concepts, the duration of therapy and choice of treatment methods for plaque morphea (PM), as well as other fibrotic diseases, are based on determination of the dominant pathological process. However, mostly subjective physical methods are used to assess the degree of activity and stage of the process in the treatment of PM now in dermatological practice. We suggest that non-invasive optical diagnostic methods can be used to determine the dominant pathological process and assess its degree of activity in the focus in vivo. Objective. To analyze the applicability of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and laser Doppler flowmetry methods for objective determination of prevalent pathological processes in PM in vivo and assessment of the process activity. Material and methods. The study included patients (n=41) diagnosed with «plaque morphea», who underwent the recording of skin optical parameters using the LAKK-M device. Subgroups were formed by nature of the pathological process in the focus: inflammation, induration, sclerosis. An analysis of the effective wavelength of fluorescence registration for endogenous fluorophores and the microcirculation indicator was carried out. Results. In the inflammation and induration subgroup, a significant increase in content of porphyrins compared to areas of sclerosis and intact skin, as well as the highest microcirculation rates compared to other subgroups along with an increase in the porphyrin tissue content indices, are noted. Fluorescence of collagen is significantly higher in the subgroups of induration and sclerosis. The greatest concentration of the fluorophore population is observed in the subgroups of induration and sclerosis. Conclusion. The potential applicability of the combined use of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and laser Doppler flowmetry methods for identification of the leading pathological processes and possibility of their activity evaluation in the PM foci has been shown.