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Use of dermatoscopy and videodermatoscopy in therapeutic follow‐up: a review
Author(s) -
Lacarrubba Francesco,
D’Amico Valentina,
Nasca Maria Rita,
Dinotta Franco,
Micali Giuseppe
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2010.04581.x
Subject(s) - dermatoscopy , medicine , dermatology , differential diagnosis , medical physics , pathology , melanoma , cancer research
Dermatoscopy (DE) is a noninvasive technique that allows a rapid and magnified in vivo observation of the skin surface with the visualization of morphologic features invisible to the naked eye. It is performed using manual devices without computer assistance, which generally allows ×10 magnifications. Videodermatoscopy (VD) represents the evolution of DE and is performed using a video camera equipped with optic fibers and lenses that currently allow magnifications ranging from ×10 to ×1000. Both DE and VD have been demonstrated to have further applications in dermatology apart from their use in differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions. In several disorders, they may be useful in differential diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, and in evaluating the response to treatment. This article focuses on the use of DE and VD in therapeutic follow‐up. Although VD systems using high magnifications may not be cost‐effective in all cases, VD represents a more reliable noninvasive and easy‐to‐use tool in therapeutic follow‐up both for in‐office dermatology as well as for clinical investigations.