Digital image analysis versus clinical assessment of wound epithelialization: A validation study
Burns, 04/27/2012

Bloemen MCT et al. – Subjective clinical evaluation of wound epithelialization is as good as an objective measure, in this study digital image analysis. Since digital image analysis is more time–consuming, the authors recommend the use of the subjective evaluation for daily practice.

• Clinicians assessed epithelialization in 50 burn wounds that were treated with a split skin graft.
• Epithelialization of these wounds was also measured by three observers using digital image analysis.
• Reliability of digital image analysis was tested using the intraclass correlation (IC).
• To test validity, subjective clinical assessment was correlated with digital image analysis (IC).

• The results showed that interobserver reliability of epithelialization measured by digital image analysis was good (IC coefficient 0.74).
• Subjective clinical assessment of epithelialization showed a strong correlation with digital image analysis (IC coefficient 0.80).