WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- An image-based system using a UV camera demonstrates reliable performance for evaluating localized vitiligo lesions, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in JAMA Dermatology.

Charles Jabour, Ph.D., from QuantifiCare in Biot, France, and colleagues examined the reliability and performance of a semiautomatic analysis of lesions performed on standardized UV reflectance pictures as part of a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess a grafting-based therapy in difficult-to-treat vitiligo lesions. Twenty adult patients with a pair of stable vitiligo target lesions with surface areas between 2 and 20 cm2 were included in the study. The Target Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (Target-VASI) was measured before treatment and 12 weeks after treatment using the image-based system (UV image Target-VASI), tracing paper outlines (tracing paper Target-VASI), and assessments by an experienced clinician (clinician Target-VASI).

The analyses included 19 evaluable patients. Overall, 61 tracing paper Target-VASIs and 76 UV image and clinician Target-VASIs were available for analysis. The researchers identified strong correlations for UV image Target-VASIs with tracing paper and clinician Target-VASIs (r = 0.81 and 0.89, respectively). High levels of agreement were seen, with mean biases of 0.81 and 0.52 for tracing paper and clinician Target-VASIs, respectively. An intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.79 was seen, indicating moderate to good reproducibility of measurements.

"While more diverse data would enable deep learning approaches to further reduce manual inputs, the system already shows strong correlation with traditional methods, suggesting its value for clinical trials and use by nonexperts," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to QuantifiCare, which funded the study; one author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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