Portable RSOM scanner reveals vascularization in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis is a very widespread disease, which is not easy to deal with, especially when evaluated only superficially. In order to diagnose as accurately as possible, it is necessary to examine the outer as well as the inner layers of skin. The handheld RSOM (raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy) scanner, which allows evaluation of the subcutaneous tissue without radiation, has been created exactly for this purpose.

Portable RSOM Scanner

New product in dermatology

Most people evaluate the severity of psoriasis based on external characteristics only. However, such standards are very subjective and cannot specifically evaluate the disease severity. Recently, a team of researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich presented a new device — a portable RSOM scanner that allows visualization of inner skin layers in psoriasis patients, exactly evaluating the stage of the disease.

The system works the following way: a laser impulse excites a tissue area with heat, which expands it for a short time. Simultaneously, the device generates ultrasound waves and the doctors read the signals with the help of special tools and use the obtained data to study the subcutaneous area image.

New product in dermatology

The main advantage of the invention is its size

While developing the device, the main characteristic the scientists paid attention to was its size. This handheld scanner not only guarantees exact results, but also ease of use, without radiation exposure. Technical capacities of the device allow doctors to determine important characteristics of skin areas affected by psoriasis as well as other hypodermic pathologies, when examining the subcutaneous tissue. Due to the scanner, the doctors have the possibility to evaluate the following:

  • skin thickness;
  • capillary density;
  • number of vessels;
  • blood volume in the skin.

Full diagnostics of psoriasis and determination of a new clinical index is possible once these characteristics are obtained. Unlike the previous one, this index allows assessing the exact level of disease severity, as it takes into account not only the characteristics of the skin itself, but also the condition of the subcutaneous layer.

The main advantage of the invention

Besides this, the researchers plan to use the same visualization method for assessment of other diseases, such as skin cancer and diabetic macro- and microangiopathies.

Due to the new RSOM technology, treatment of psoriasis became simpler and more effective, enabling doctors to assess the stage of the disease as exactly as possible and prescribe treatment that will stimulate the tissue healing.

It is possible to buy dermatology diagnostic devices from private specialists, who have been running a practice for a long time, as well as from official representatives of the manufacturers. Bimedis, an Internet ad platform, offers a wide assortment of medical equipment at reasonable prices. You will find used devices as well as new ones with a warranty.