Dawes-Higgs Elizabeth K, Swain Michael V, Higgs Robin J E D, Appleyard Richard C, Kossard Steven
Skin and Cancer Foundation, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia.
Physiol Meas. 2004 Feb;25(1):97-105. doi: 10.1088/0967-3334/25/1/009.
A novel instrument has been devised for the in vivo examination of the dynamic biomechanical properties of skin. These properties include stiffness and viscoelasticity. The advantage of the device is its ability to examine the skin dynamically, thereby eliminating preconditioning effects. Furthermore, it is portable, hand-held and easy to operate in the clinical environment. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the dynamic biomechanical skin measurement (DBSM) probe. The accuracy was determined by examining a series of silicone elastomer specimens. A comparison of the shear modulus (G*), obtained from a static indentation system, with stiffness, obtained from the DBSM probe, was performed. The reliability was determined by examining both silicone elastomers and forearm volar skin in vivo. In both cases assessment was by six different operators (inter-reliability) and also by an individual operator (intra-reliability). Statistical analysis was performed using Levene's test of homogeneity and analysis of variance to ascertain if there were significant differences between operators (inter-reliability) and with one individual operator (intra-reliability). It can be concluded, from this study, that the DBSM probe is accurate (R2 = 0.96, p = 0.01). It is also inter- and intra-reliable when assessing elastomer stiffness and skin stiffness. However, phase lag was not found to be a useful indicator of device reliability. It is anticipated that this device will be used to examine dermatological conditions and the benefits, or otherwise, of treatment. The DBSM probe promises to contribute to the objective measurement of physical properties of the skin in future investigative studies.
一种新型仪器已被设计用于体内检测皮肤的动态生物力学特性。这些特性包括硬度和粘弹性。该设备的优点是能够动态检测皮肤，从而消除预处理效应。此外，它便于携带、手持且易于在临床环境中操作。本研究的目的是确定动态生物力学皮肤测量（DBSM）探头的准确性和可靠性。通过检测一系列硅橡胶弹性体标本确定准确性。将从静态压痕系统获得的剪切模量（G*）与从DBSM探头获得的硬度进行比较。通过在体内检测硅橡胶弹性体和前臂掌侧皮肤来确定可靠性。在这两种情况下，均由六名不同的操作人员进行评估（组间可靠性），也由一名操作人员进行评估（组内可靠性）。使用Levene同质性检验和方差分析进行统计分析，以确定不同操作人员之间（组间可靠性）以及同一名操作人员（组内可靠性）是否存在显著差异。从这项研究可以得出结论，DBSM探头是准确的（R2 = 0.96，p = 0.01）。在评估弹性体硬度和皮肤硬度时，它在组间和组内也具有可靠性。然而，相位滞后未被发现是设备可靠性的有用指标。预计该设备将用于检测皮肤病状况以及治疗的益处或其他方面。DBSM探头有望在未来的研究中为皮肤物理特性的客观测量做出贡献。
