[Teledermoscopy by mobile phones : Reliable help in the diagnosis of skin lesions?] / Teledermatoskopie mittels Smartphone : Zuverlässige Hilfe bei der Diagnostik von Hautläsionen?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Teledermoscopy is a promising modern technique to complement or to substitute dermatologic examination. OBJECTIVE: In this pilot study, we compared the outcomes of teledermoscopic consultations with clinical examinations and histologic results. METHODS: Conventional and dermatoscopic photos of single lesions were taken in 26 patients using a mobile phone and an attached handyscope optical system. Five resident physicians performed a clinical examination including dermoscopy while the teledermatologic and teledermoscopic photos were assessed by an experienced dermatologist. Examination results were compared regarding diagnosis, differential diagnoses, recommended further management, as well as subjective and objective accuracy of diagnosis. In addition, 23% of the lesions were excised and histologically examined. RESULTS: The most frequent diagnosis was "nevus cell nevus", followed by "subungual hematoma" and "basal cell carcinoma". The concordance of diagnoses was 92.3%; the concordance of recommended further management was 76.9%. Of the 6 histologically proven diagnoses, 66.7% were given the same diagnosis by teledermatoscopy and conventional clinical assessment. Concerning accuracy of diagnosis, teledermoscopy showed no disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS: Teledermatologic photos of single lesions combined with teledermatoscopic photos can be reliably and safely assessed. Especially when access to dermatologic examination is difficult, mobile teledermoscopy is a good and reliable alternative.