The reliability of non-invasive biophysical outcome measures for evaluating normal and hyperkeratotic foot skin

Hashmi, F; Wright, CRF; Nester, CJ; Lam, S

Abstract

Background: Hyperkeratosis of foot skin is a common skin problem affecting people of different ages. The clinical
presentation of this condition can range from dry flaky skin, which can lead to fissures, to hard callused skin which is often painful and debilitating. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability of certain non-invasive skin measurement devices on foot skin in normal and hyperkeratotic states, with a view to confirming their use as quantitative outcome measures in future clinical trials.

Methods: Twelve healthy adult participants with a range of foot skin conditions (xerotic skin, heel fissures and
plantar calluses) were recruited to the study. Measurements of normal and hyperkeratotic skin sites were taken
using the following devices: Corneometer® CM 825, Cutometer® 580 MPA, Reviscometer® RVM 600, Visioline® VL 650
Quantiride® and Visioscan® VC 98, by two investigators on two consecutive days. The intra and inter rater reliability
and standard error of measurement for each device was calculated.

Results: The data revealed the majority of the devices to be reliable measurement tools for normal and hyperkeratotic
foot skin (ICC values > 0.6). The surface evaluation parameters for skin: SEsc and SEsm have greater reliability compared to the SEr measure. The Cutometer® is sensitive to soft tissue movement within the probe, therefore measurement of plantar soft tissue areas should be approached with caution. Reviscometer® measures on callused skin demonstrated an unusually high degree of error.

Conclusions: These results confirm the intra and inter rater reliability of the Corneometer®, Cutometer®, Visioline® and
Visioscan® in quantifying specific foot skin biophysical properties.

Citation

Hashmi, F., Wright, C., Nester, C., & Lam, S. (2015). The reliability of non-invasive biophysical outcome measures for evaluating normal and hyperkeratotic foot skin. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 8(28), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-015-0083-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 12, 2015
• Publication Date: Jul 9, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Foot and Ankle Research
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 28
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-015-0083-8
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13047-015-0083-8
• Related Public URLs: http://link.springer.com/journal/13047