Index
Also known as chemiluminescence microscopy, it studies skin lesions with a dermatoscope.
A traditional dermatoscope has several components:
- A magnifying glass
- A non-polarized light source
- A transparent plate
- A liquid medium between the dermatoscopy and the skin
The typical power of the magnifying glass is 310.
The dermatoscopy allows a doctor to observe and analyze skin lesions without obstructing the reflections of the skin surface.
Modern forms of dermatoscopy do not use a liquid medium.
Polarized light is used to cancel reflections from the skin’s surface and is connected to a computer.
A dermatoscopy allows dermatologists to distinguish benign from malignant tumors, particularly in the diagnosis of melanoma.
Other cancerous lesions diagnosed by dermatoscopy include angiomas, basal cell carcinomas, cylindromas, dermatofibromas, seborrheic keratosis, and squamous cell carcinomas.
With digital dermatoscopy, also known as video dermatoscopy, the digital images are exact and amplified; they can be stored and compared with the patient’s following visit pictures.
It allows the identification of a high degree of skin lesions and performs the differential diagnosis. If the injury changes, it may require excision. If the injury remains the same over time, it is likely to be benign.
A dermatoscopy can also allow doctors to determine the surgical margin for skin cancers that are difficult to define.
Bowen’s disease, lentigo maligna, and superficial basal cell carcinoma belong to this category because they are known to have indistinct margins.
Dermoscopy is also used to diagnose fungal infections, hair and scalp diseases (including alopecia areata, female androgenic alopecia, monilethrix, Netherton syndrome, and woolly hair syndrome), pubic lice, scabies, and warts.
Applications
The digital dermatoscopy provides a map of the body of all pigmented lesions, which is stored in the computer system, which facilitates personalized monitoring of the development of moles in each patient.
The diagnoses made through digital dermatoscopy are used to evaluate the signs of malignancy of the lesions.
Digital dermatoscopy is used for the following cases:
- Patients who have a high number of moles and freckles on their skin.
- Patients with a personal or family history of skin cancer (mainly melanoma).
- Patients with dysplastic neon syndromes.
Dermoscopy is a method used for the detailed examination of the outer layers of the skin and the evaluation of pigmented skin growths such as moles, seborrheic warts, vascular lesions (hemangioma), and skin carcinoma.
The test aims to differentiate between malignant and non-malignant pigmentation and help in the timely diagnosis of skin cancer and its prevention.
This type of examination is recommended during a skin cancer prevention consultation for elderly patients, those with numerous atopic moles, or those with a family member diagnosed with malignant melanoma.
Dermoscopy involves using a dermatoscope that magnifies the skin’s structure and allows much more detailed observation of the skin that can not be done with the naked eye.
Dermatoscopy is a specific examination that reduces the frequency of unnecessary removal of warts.
Digital dermatoscopy offers new and better opportunities to inspect the observed lesions dynamically and avoid the subjectivity of the dermatoscopic analysis when saving the images in an electronic device and storing them in a database.
Digital dermatoscopy is the most useful diagnostic method for patients with many pigmented nevi (moles).
With this objective in mind, a unique program is applied to each person to map the skin of the nevi that must be followed every six months.
Dermoscopic strategies
The dermatoscopic diagnosis of melanoma can be made following one of several strategies.
First, physicians can choose from many established analytical and diagnostic algorithms, such as the ABCD (Asymmetry, Borders, Colors, Differential Structural Components, or Dermatoscopic Structure) rule.
Or the CASH algorithm (Colors: few versus many, Architecture: order against disorder, Symmetry against asymmetry, Homogeneity against heterogeneity) distinguishes malignant lesions from benign pigmented ones.
With the algorithm approach, a calculation is made based on the number of specific melanoma structures present; a biopsy is recommended if a certain threshold is reached.
The second option is based on the concept of the “ugly duckling,” whereby a lesion that stands out from the surrounding lesions, even if it seems banal, should raise suspicions.
A third option is to use the sign “beauty and the beast” the dermoscopic pattern of the lesion is compared with nine typical recurrent benign patterns. If it deviates from any of these patterns, a biopsy is suggested.
Advantages of digital dermatoscopy
The advent of digital dermatoscopy has allowed physicians to evaluate dermatoscopic changes in lesions like how doctors routinely follow clinical changes.
This involves capturing a dermoscopic image at the beginning of the study and comparing it with an image captured during a follow-up appointment.
This technique has been used in two situations:
First, it has been used in cases where an injury may appear suspicious in dermatoscopy but does not meet diagnostic criteria in any of the algorithms or strategies described above.
The approach to the management of these lesions, called “short-term mole monitoring,” was proposed by Menzies.
Secondly, digital monitoring of dermatoscopy has been used in patients with multiple clinically atypical moles with a high risk of melanoma.
Kittler introduced the concept of long-term dermatoscopic monitoring.
Short-term and long-term monitoring goals are to decrease unnecessary biopsies as much as possible.
It accurately detects any change in the size, color, edges, and structures of moles.
It leads to a reasonable and easy screening for skin cancer prevention by detecting the suspicious lesion and eliminating it at the earliest stage.
With digital dermatoscopy, the visualization of structures within the epidermis and the papillary dermis that are usually invisible to the naked eye is allowed.
The particular dermoscopic structures suggest melanoma; some include an atypical network, veins, irregular spots and globules, pupa-like structures, irregular spots, and blue-white structures.
Multiple studies have supported this device’s use in treating patients with pigmented lesions.
Digital dermatoscopy increases the accuracy in the diagnosis of melanoma by 49 percent compared to the naked eye examination.
