Add-on diagnostic tool for allergic contact dermatitis: the strip patch test

The "conventional" patch test (PT) is considered to be the "gold standard" in diagnosing allergic contact dermatitis. However, the method of patch testing has repeatedly been criticized for its limited diagnostic accuracy and it is therefore by no means uniformly accepted as a reliable test method. Basic idea of the "strip" patch test (SPT), a modification by repeated tape stripping prior to patch testing, is to increase the quantity of allergen reaching the deeper epidermal cell layers and, thus, to increase the test sensitivity. The SPT according to our proposed standardized protocol is promising to improve diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis which is demonstrated exemplarily in the field of occupational contact dermatitis.