Assessment of Vitiligo Treatment Outcome: Review of Useful Methods

Many therapeutic modalities are available for vitiligo treatment. However, there is a lack of consensus about methods that assess the treatment outcome of the disorder. Comparative studies of various treatments of vitiligo, relied until recently on subjective methods based on an approximate evaluation of the extent of depigmented areas. Recently objective modalities that could be used to assess the changes in vitiligo lesions during treatment were described. Assessment could be based either on the global evaluation of vitiligo extent or on the changes of specific localized areas. Vitiligo Area Scoring Index, Vitiligo European Task Force evaluating method, Vitiligo Extent Tensity Index and Self Assessed Vitiligo Area Scoring Index are among the proposed methods for global assessment of vitiligo areas changes. Point counting methods, planimetry and digitizing methods are potentially useful methods for vitiligo outcome evaluation. However these methods are more suitable for measurement of localized vitiligo lesions and not for evaluation of vitiligo extent. Some simple methods used by physiotherapists in assessment of skin wounds, that could be applied to vitiligo will also be reviewed.