Medicine
Chapter 7
Section 25.1
Dermoscopy
Issue Date: June 19, 2008
Copyright: CPT
only © 2006 American Medical Association (or such other date of
publication of CPT).
All Rights Reserved.
Revision:
1.0 CPT
PROCEDURE CODES
96904
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.
3.0 POLICY
The Dermoscopy technique for diagnosing and
monitoring dysplastic and atypical nevi for early detection of malignant
cutaneous melanoma in patients with suspicious pigmented skin lesions is
not covered because it is considered unproven.
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