Electrical impedance of nodular basal cell carcinoma: A pilot study

Background: Previously, we have explored the use of measurements of electri cal impedance and devised 4 physically distinct indices named magnitude ind ex (MIX), phase index, real part index and imaginary part index (IMIX) from the impedance data. Our results indicated that these indices could charact erize contact reactions. Objective: The goal of the present study was to us e the electrical impedance method for the preoperative assessment of nodula r basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Methods: We included 11 patients with a total of 12 nodular BCC, diagnosed clinically and histologically, The noninvasiv e measurements were performed by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and elect rical impedance. For reference, normal looking contralateral or ipsilateral skin was used. Results: Compared to controls, the mean TEWL of BCC was inc reased, but this finding was not statistically significant. The electrical impedance measurements of BCC tissue revealed statistically significant cha nges of the impedance indices MIX and IMIX (p less than or equal to 0.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that the measurement of electrical impedan ce might become useful for investigations of BCC.