In Vivo Differentiation of Scarring Alopecia Using Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography: A Pilot Study

January 2026 in “ JDDG Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft ”

Marie‐Christine Nutz, Julia Welzel, Daniela Hartmann, L. French, Maximilian Deußing, Elke Sattler

scarring alopecia line-field confocal optical coherence tomography LC-OCT

TLDR LC-OCT can help diagnose different types of scarring alopecia.

This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) in differentiating types of scarring alopecia (SA) in 40 patients. LC-OCT was able to identify specific features of various SA subtypes, such as inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis patterns, with high accuracy. The study highlighted LC-OCT's potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, which could reduce the need for invasive scalp biopsies. However, the small sample size and requirement for experienced examiners suggest that further research with larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings and assess the clinical applicability of LC-OCT.

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research Histopathology of Alopecia: A Clinicopathological Approach to Diagnosis

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