Gizbrecht E., Balcevich A.
Assuta Medical Centers LTD, Tel-Aviv
 
Wide spread of skin diseases dictates a necessity in early and maximum accurate diagnostics,
because severe forms of skin diseases decrease greatly quality of life of a patient and his family,
promote development of a psychosomatic disorders. Visual evaluation of symptoms and severity of a
disease often has subjective nature. 
From histological point of view skin consists of two layers: epidermis and derma which are
closely connected. On histological cross-cuts of skin a line between epidermis and derma looks uneven
due to presence of many dermal papillae divided by outgrowths of epidermis. Epidermis consists of
several layers: basal, spinous, granular and horny. In epidermis of palms and feet, between granular and
horny layers there is additional layer - stratum lucidum. Sometimes the aggregate of basal, spinous and
granular layers is called a malpighian layer.
Derma is a connective basis of skin, where perspiratory and sebaceous glands, blood and lymph
vessels, nerves and smooth muscles are located. There are papillary and reticular layers of derma.
Papillary layer, located under epidermis, and a part of reticular layer conditionally form upper derma;
layer of derma located at the level of pilosebaceous unit is indicated as middle derma; the underlying
layer containing perspiratory glands, bordering subcutaneous fat, is called a deep derma.
Blood vessels of skin form two anatomic plexuses: a deep one, located next to subcutaneous fat,
and a superficial one, located in sub-papillary layer. They consist of microcirculatory bloodstream
vessels: arterioles, venules and capillary tubes. 
Total thickness of skin without subcutaneous fat varies from bits of a millimeter to 4 mm.
Exiting systems for NLS-diagnostics (“Metatron”-4019) are equipped with high-frequency linear
generators (1.4 GHz) allowing to visualize the most superficial structures, in particular skin. However to
evaluate condition of ultrafine structures of skin such frequency is not enough sometimes. That is why
dermatologists started to use special devices with sensors of 40 GHz operating frequency, which allow
to see the finest structures of skin layers down to the level of large carbohydrate molecules and peptides.
But at the same time due to significant cost of such equipment if becomes unaffordable for wide
application in the majority of clinics. Taking into account a need in evaluation of regional lymph nodes
and tumors of soft tissues, apparently the optimal decision is to use devices for non-linear diagnostics
equipped with non-linear sensors of 4.9 GHz operating frequency (“Metatron 4025, the IPP, Russia).
“Metatron”-4025 system has axial resolution of 30 µm. Application of this device allows to study
epidermis on cellular and sub-cellular levels. 
Nowadays objectives and limits of three-dimensional NLS-ultramicroscanning research in
dermatology have become very broad. 
The following has become real:
- evaluation of treatment efficiency of diseases characterized by skin sclerosis (localized
scleroderma, generalized scleroderma), edematous (lipo-dermatosclerosis) and chronic inflammatory
(psoriasis) dermatosis;