Dynamic optical coherence tomography of histamine induced wheals

Background Dynamic optical coherence tomography (D‐OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique providing images of the skin and detecting movement in the tissue ie, measuring blood flow. The “attenuation coefficient” describes light absorption and scattering abilities of the tissue, while the dynamic signal provides a quantitative measure of the blood flow. Aim The study objective is to describe the dynamic changes of the skin and skin vessels during histamine release using D‐OCT. Methods Healthy volunteers had local histamine injections in the skin and D‐OCT‐scans performed at 2‐minute intervals to detect changes in blood flow, attenuation and clinical symptoms. Results 9/10 participants showed clinical wheals. An increase in blood flow was shown at all depths (P