A validation study of scar vascularity and pigmentation assessment using dermoscopy Yating Wei a , Cecilia W.P. Li-Tsang a, *, David C.K. Luk b , Teresa Tan c , Walei Zhang a , Tor Wo Chiu c a Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong b Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, United Christian Hospital, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong c Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong 1. Introduction The assessment of hypertrophic scars has always been an important issue in evaluating the effects of various kinds of scar management strategies. Over the years, clinical practitioners and researchers have developed many scales and instruments to examine the characteristics and condition of hypertrophic scars. One of the most commonly used scales is the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) which assess the scar with four specific parameters including pigmentation, pliability, vascularity and b u r n s x x x ( 2 0 1 5 ) x x x – x x x * Corresponding author at: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel.: +852 2766 6715; fax: +852 2330 8656. E-mail address: cecilia.li@polyu.edu.hk (Cecilia W.P. Li-Tsang). a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 14 May 2015 Keywords: Dermoscope Hypertrophic scars Vascularity Pigmentation a b s t r a c t Introduction: Vascularity and pigmentation are two important indicators of the maturing status of hypertrophic scars. We used the dermoscope to measure vascularity and pigmen- tation of hypertrophic scars to examine its validity and reliability. Materials and method: Eighteen subjects were assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), spectrocolorimeter and dermoscope. Correlations between the measurements by these tools and reliability parameters were examined. Results: A strong correlation was found between the redness measured by spectrocolori- meter and the RGB redness values of dermoscope pictures (r = 0.890). A correlation was found between the lightness measured by spectrocolorimeter and the lightness of dermo- scope pictures (r = 0.536), and between the lightness by spectrocolorimeter and the blanched dermoscope pictures (r = 0.448). The calculated RGB values of redness of the dermoscope correlated with the VSS vascularity score (r = 0.625); the transformed VSS pigmentation score correlated with the lightness of the blanched dermoscope pictures (r = 0.783). The intra-class correlation coefficient (3, 1) of the dermoscope was 0.980 for the redness measurement and 0.965 for the lightness measurement, while the intra-class correlation coefficient (2, 2) was 0.930 for the dermoscope redness measurement and 0.871 for the dermoscope lightness. Conclusion: The dermoscope is a promising objective tool for vascularity and pigmentation assessments of hypertrophic scars with good validity and reliability. # 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. JBUR-4652; No. of Pages 7 Please cite this article in press as: Wei Y, et al. A validation study of scar vascularity and pigmentation assessment using dermoscopy. Burns (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2015.05.013 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/burns http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2015.05.013 0305-4179/# 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.