Psoriasis is a skin disease that affects 2% of the population. One of the common ways of treating this condition is to expose patients to ultraviolet light. To ensure that they receive an optimum exposure, many centres will "phototest" patients before starting a course of therapy.
Traditional methods of phototesting can be cumbersome and time-consuming, but thanks to a new device developed in the Regional Medical Physics Department (RMPD) by physicists Phil Saunders and Professor Brian Diffey, this is no longer the case. Their 'UV wand' can expose 10 sites on the skin in just 30 seconds in order to measure a patient's sensitivity to UV light.
The UV wand is presently being evaluated in the Dermatology Department at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, where the Head of Department Professor Jonathan Rees is collaborating with Professor Diffey. When asked how he and his staff viewed the new device, Professor Rees replied "It is a lot better than using a conventional lamp in terms of cutting down variation in response. We like it enormously!"
Hybec Ltd have adopted the foil technology at the heart of this phototesting device, combined it with one of their existing UV lamps, and are now marketing the new product as the Hybec Durham Erythema Tester - another example of how innovation in RMPD is bringing benefits to patients and income to the NHS.
Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, UK.
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Regional Medical Physics Department, a Clinical Directorate of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
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