Improved,but not Perfect,Patch Testing

Abstract

Over the last century, patch testing has developed from the brief exposure to raw materials or application of fabric soaked with solutions of various substances, to the present, more sophisticated, but still not perfect, methods. In the hands of skilled skin biologists, the present patch test methods are excellent tools. A new technique, incorporating the allergens in a thin, film-layered vehicle, offers a future developmental line, which improves and simplifies diagnostic testing. Computer registration of aller- gens and their sources, as well as information on the chemical background of sensitizers, undoubtedly will increase the accuracy and efficiency of patch testing and patient counseling (Edman B: Contact Dermatitis 19:42, 1988; Gaihofer G: Dermatosen 36:10, 1980²; MacFarlane HAF, et al: Contact Dermatitis 14:162, 1986³). Nevertheless, much remains to be done to increase the accuracy of the procedure.