2.0 DESCRIPTION
Early phases of malignant melanoma
can be difficult to detect. Surgery (i.e., biopsy) to remove the
melanoma is the standard treatment for this disease. However, a
number of surveillance technologies have been developed in an attempt
to improve accuracy in diagnosing malignancies in pigmented skin
lesions without using a biopsy or excision (removal) of the lesion
itself.
Dermoscopy
(also known as Digital Epiluminescence Microscopy (DELM), dermatoscopy, melanomography,
in vivo cutaneous surface microscopy, mole mapping, and magnified
oil immersion diascopy) is one of technologies designed for detecting
and monitoring dysplastic and atypical nevi for early detection
of malignant cutaneous melanomas. The dermoscope allows 10x or higher magnification
by using high intensity light. Oil placed between the skin and the
lens makes the skin more transparent and enables visualization of
skin structures to the bottom of the outermost layer of the skin.
This technology offers the physician the ability to have a baseline
image to refer to so he or she can examine each suspicious lesion,
and then compare them year after year, by re-imaging.