Abstract

Portwine stain (PWS) birthmarks are congenital vascular malformations of the skin. Pulse dye laser (PDL) is current treatment option for PWS. As a possible alternative, vascular targeting photodynamic therapy (PDT) is currently under formal clinical trials for the treatment of PWS in China. Color blanching is an important indicator of treatment effectiveness. There is a need to develop an objective and quantitative color analysis system for the evaluation of PWS color before and after PDT treatment.In this study, the CIE L*a*b* color space coordinate was used to quantify skin and PWS coloron digital color photos.A custom-made multi-color template (PWS Color Card) for the accurate color correction of digital photos. Hardware and software were developed and tested for quantitative PWS color and size analyses before and after PDT treatment. Results suggest that PWS color, its color blanching and treatment efficacy in PDT treatment can be quantitatively analyzed using digital photos in conjunction with suitable color analysis and color correction algorithm.

© 2019 SPIE/OSA