DERMOSCOPY OVERVIEW AND EXTRADIAGNOSTIC APPLICATIONS

Course overview

DERMOSCOPY, ALSO KNOWN AS DERMATOSCOPY, EPILUMINESCENCE MICROSCOPY, OR SKIN SURFACE MICROSCOPY IS A NON-INVASIVE, IN-VIVO TECHNIQUE THAT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN USEFUL FOR THE EVALUATION OF SUSPICIOUS SKIN LESIONS. IT CAN HELP IDENTIFY LESIONS AND DIFFERENTIATE MELANOCYTIC LESIONS FROM DYSPLASTIC LESIONS, MELANOMAS, OR NON-MELANOMA SKIN CANCERS SUCH AS BASAL CELL CARCINOMA OR SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA. FURTHERMORE, OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE USE OF DERMOSCOPY HAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE UTILIZATION FOR DIAGNOSIS OF DERMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS INCLUDING INFLAMMATORY DERMATOSIS, PIGMENTARY DERMATOSIS, INFECTIOUS DERMATOSIS, AND DISORDERS OF THE HAIR, SCALP, AND NAILS. AS THE UTILITY OF DERMOSCOPY CONTINUES TO EXPAND, PRACTITIONERS IN ALMOST ALL SPECIALTIES SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THIS SIMPLE, NON-INVASIVE AND HIGH-YIELD DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUE. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE VARIOUS USES FOR DERMOSCOPY ACROSS MULTIPLE SPECIALTIES AND STRESSES THE ROLE OF TEAM-BASED INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE.