4 December 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The dermatology department in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH) Cork came away with the top prize at the recent annual meeting of the British Association for Paediatric and Adolescent Dermatology held at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Dr Cathal O’Connor, clinical research fellow in paediatric dermatology, presented the department’s research into ‘novel multispectral imaging versus clinical assessment to assess disease activity in paediatric morphoea’ which was performed under the supervision of Dr Mary Bennett, consultant dermatologist.
Morphoea is an inflammatory, fibrosing skin disorder that causes severe thickening of skin and can even involve muscle or bone. A test called thermography can be used to assess how active the disease is, but this is not available widely in Ireland, and positive results do not always mean that the disease is truly active. The Cork researchers tested a new form of technology, called multispectral imaging, and found that it was extremely helpful in assessing whether the skin was currently inflamed or not.
Dr Cathal O’Connor explained that: “Morphoea can be progressive and debilitating, and early treatment can make a massive difference to outcome. Our research shows that this novel imaging is very useful in helping us to decide if children with morphoea need additional treatment, or if their skin inflammation has settled.” Dr Mary Bennett added that “the next stage of this research will involve collaborating with multiple international centres to validate the results and compare it to other forms of assessment.”
The study is due to be submitted for publication in a leading dermatology journal.
Dr Cathal O’Connor