The Twentieth Century and Beyond
Scott M. Jackson in Skin Disease and the History of Dermatology, 2023
Since that time, dermatoscopy has become its own subdiscipline within dermatology, and article after article has been amassing in the dermatologic literature. Today, the modern dermatologist is equipped with this device in hand because it is extremely helpful with the physical examination. It can assist with the distinction of benign and malignant pigmented skin lesions (including melanoma), and it can also be used to diagnose countless benign lesions, BCC, SCC, rashes including psoriasis, types of hair loss, and skin infections and infestations such as scabies—all without a biopsy. Dermatoscopy has tremendous value for the modern dermatology patient: it screens out benign lesions, preventing unnecessary biopsies and reducing the cost of healthcare, and it helps identify problematic skin lesions at an early stage in which a lesion might otherwise appear unproblematic to the naked eye. Practicing dermatology without a dermatoscope may already be analogous to a cardiologist practicing cardiology without a stethoscope.
Triage Algorithms
Ashfaq A Marghoob, Ralph Braun, Natalia Jaimes in Atlas of Dermoscopy, 2023
Triage refers to the sorting out and classification of patients and lesions to determine priority of need and proper place of treatment. Triage can be performed during skin cancer screenings using dermoscopy. Dermoscopy enables identifying lesions that are suspicious for skin cancer and aiding in the correct management decision. Deciding whether or not to biopsy a skin lesion is paramount during screening, whereas making a specific diagnosis, such as differentiating between basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma, is less important. For triage purposes, to decide which lesion(s) should be biopsied, several simplified dermoscopic algorithms have been proposed, most of which include asymmetry and color variation in their criteria1–4 (Table 5c.1).
Instruments for Surface Microscopy of the Skin (Incident Light Microscopy, Epiluminescence Microscopy)
Enzo Berardesca, Peter Elsner, Klaus-P. Wilhelm, Howard I. Maibach in Bioengineering of the Skin: Methods and Instrumentation, 2020
Instruments of the dermatoscope type. The dermatoscope was described by Braun-Falco et al.21 Heine Delta-10 Dermatoscope and Heine Delta-10 Dermatoscope Plus (Figure 2). The instrument comprises a battery handle bearing a head with a 9.3-fold magnifying lens, 3.5-V halogen bulb, focusing ring, and a contact cylinder (diameter, 28 mm) to be held against the skin surface. The battery handle is in use for many of the Heine instruments (ophthalmoscopes, laryngoscopes) and is available in a rechargeable version with a desk charger. If used without the contact cylinder the instrument may serve as an illuminating loupe. The Delta-10 Dermatoscope Plus is equipped with an 8-mm fiberoptic contact plate to permit inspection of narrow grooves such as finger webs, etc. Adaptors to Welch Allynn handles are available. Manufacturer and Distributor: Heine Optotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Kientalstrasse 7, D-82211 Herrsching, Germany. U.S. office: Heine USA Ltd., 3500 Regency Parkway, Suite “C”, Cary, NC 27511-8569. U.S. distributor: Delasco Lab & Supply, Inc., 608 13th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501.
Treatment of basal cell carcinoma with intralesional interferon alfa-2b: an open-label clinical trial
Published in Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, 2023
Masoud Maleki, Pouran Layegh, Bita Kiafar, Mehrdad Teimoorian, Emadodin Darchini-Maragheh, Mahdi Razmara
The response to treatment was evaluated using clinical observation, dermoscopy, and biopsy (if satisfied by the patient) at the end of the treatment. The dermoscopy was performed using a handyscope (FotoFinder® Systems GmbH, Germany). In case of consent, a second biopsy for assessment of pathologic response was performed after the treatment using 3-mm punch and was analyzed in the laboratory. The complete response was considered to be the lack of skin lesions in clinical examination and dermoscopy as well as absence of tumor cells in tissue samples in case of available skin biopsy. Other therapeutic methods, such as surgery, radiotherapy, or destructive therapies were considered for patients who had lesions remaining in clinical examination or retained tumor cells in histopathology assessment. The degree of compliance to treatment was defined on the basis of regular referral at prescribed times and lack of delay due to forgetfulness or complications.
Strategies to improve the diagnosis and clinical treatment of dermatophyte infections
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2023
Murat Durdu, Macit Ilkit
At present, dermoscopy is used not only for the diagnosis of pigmented lesions but also for the diagnosis and follow-up of many infectious diseases, such as molluscum contagiosum, scabies, warts, pediculosis, and dermatophyte infections, especially tinea capitis. In addition, dermoscopy is very important in patients with tinea corporis for determining vellus-type hair involvement, which necessitates systemic antifungal therapy because the use of only topical antifungal therapy would prove ineffective (Figures 6A and 6B) [18]. Dermoscopy is used to differentiate onychomycosis from other nail dystrophies, such as traumatic nail dystrophy and psoriasis. Artificial intelligence programs trained with dermoscopic images can diagnose onychomycosis with high accuracy (95.7%), which was greater than that of 54 dermatologists [19].
Diagnosis and treatment of low-risk superficial basal cell carcinoma in a single visit
Published in Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022
Georgette A. Hattier, Robert F. Duffy, Mitchell J. Finkelstein, Sarah M. Beggs, Jason B. Lee
Diagnosis and treatment of sBCC in a single appointment is predicated upon having sufficient diagnostic confidence to treat the lesion without a biopsy confirmation. The widespread adoption of dermatoscopy in the general dermatology practice has facilitated this practice. The subsurface structures as viewed through a dermatoscope provide additional diagnostic criteria with which to diagnose BCCs and their subtypes with higher accuracy than naked-eye examination alone (8,9), competencies that should be emphasized in training programs. BCCs are more common than melanomas in the general setting, dermatoscopy has the potential to significantly impact overall management of BCCs, providing efficiency in their diagnosis and treatment.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Alopecia Areata
- Dermatology
- Melanoma
- Skin
- Malignancy
- Skin Condition
- Artificial Intelligence In Healthcare
- Fotofinder
- Molemax
- Monilethrix