ReviewCommunications medicine2024
Melanometry for objective evaluation of skin pigmentation in pulse oximetry studies.
Review in Communications medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Unifying the spectrum: a framework for the meta-analysis of human skin tone scales.Journal of biomedical optics · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Eight-Week Supplementation Containing Red Orange andNutrients · 2025Trial
- Melanin- and linewidth-corrected pulse-oximetry.ArXiv · 2026Article
- Development and optical characterization of a multilayered head phantom for optical brain monitoring.Journal of biomedical optics · 2026Article
- The Representation of Different Populations in Studies Assessing the Validity of Consumer Wearable Photoplethysmography-Based Measurements: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Decoding melanin dynamics: Photoacoustic microscopy reveals differential aging of metabolic and keratinized skin zones.Photoacoustics · 2026Article
- Enhancing skin tone representation in optical vascular phantoms.Journal of biomedical optics · 2026Article
- Vitiligo Information Resource database v3.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2026Article
- The confounding effects of skin colour in photoacoustic imaging.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Distinguishing Muscle Oxygen Saturation from Tissue Oxygen Saturation: Accuracy, Limitations, and Practical Utility in Muscle Oximetry.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Melanin-corrected absolute tissue oxygen saturation estimation via hybrid transmittance-reflectance spectroscopy.Biomedical optics express · 2026Article
- Advances in fully integrated wearable near-infrared spectroscopy: hardware innovations and biomedical applications.JPhys photonics · 2026Review
- Exploring the Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Safety of the Adjunctive Use of Microneedling With Tranexamic Acid in the Treatment of Melasma.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2026Review
- Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring: A Comprehensive Review.American journal of hypertension · 2026Review
- Multispectral optoelectronic sensor to detect peripheral blood pulsatile variations with equivalent performance in light, medium and dark skin tones.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Quantifying the impact of hair and skin characteristics on fNIRS signal quality for enhanced inclusivity.Nature human behaviour · 2025Article
- Race Is an Incomplete Surrogate for Skin Pigmentation in Neonates, with Potential Relevance for Pulse Oximetry.The Journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Pulse oximeter performance and skin pigment: comparison of 34 oximeters using current and emerging regulatory frameworks.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Quantitative analysis of tissue oxygenation variability across anatomical landmarks in healthy individuals via near-infrared spectroscopy.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Microfluidic Design of Ultradeformable Liposomes for Advanced Skin Delivery ofPharmaceutics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pulse oximetry enables real-time, noninvasive monitoring of arterial blood oxygen levels. However, results can vary with skin color, thus detecting disparities during clinical validation studies requires an accurate measure of skin pigmentation. Recent clinical studies have used subjective methods such as self-reported color, race/ethnicity to categorize skin. Melanometers based on optical reflectance may offer a more effective, objective approach to assess pigmentation. Here, we review melanometry approaches and assess evidence supporting their use as clinical research tools. We compare performance data, including repeatability, robustness to confounders, and compare devices to each other, to subjective methods, and high-quality references. Finally, we propose best practices for evaluating melanometers and discuss alternate optical approaches that may improve accuracy. Whilst evidence indicates that melanometers can provide superior performance to subjective approaches, we encourage additional research and standardization efforts, as these are needed to ensure consistent and reliable results in clinical studies.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.