Evaluation of Epithelialization: Fluorescence Visualization Versus Manchester Scar Scale Versus Visual Analog Scale

With the recent advancement in wound dressings based on regenerative medicine, there is an increasing demand for the development of an objective wound-healing evaluation method. In this article, we investigated the donor site of the split-thickness skin graft using Illumiscan (Matsukaze, Kyoto, Japan), a fluorescence visualization device designed to observe early intraoral mucosal changes. We collected the data from the donor site of 16 patients at Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital using the Illumiscan, a digital camera, the Manchester Scar Scale, and the visual analog scale. We then examined the relevance between the data gathered through these methods and the course of epithelialization. The images captured by Illumiscan were analyzed at the National Cancer Center Hospital, and the luminance of these images was measured. The luminance of the images gradually decreased up to postoperative day 3 and then remained almost stable. This was considered to reflect the early epithelialization of the donor site. Changes in the values of the Manchester Scar Scale and visual analog scale were also thought to reflect the progression of epithelialization of the donor site. They are assumed to be suitable for objective evaluations of the epithelialization.