Non-Invasive Imaging for the Diagnosis of Genital Warts and Their Imitators.

Genital warts are the most frequent sexually transmitted disease. Their clinical diagnosis is not always easy, and invasive skin biopsies for histological examination should be performed in these cases. The aim of the study was to investigate the use of non-invasive imaging techniques for the diagnosis of genital warts and their imitators. We retrospectively evaluated dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), and line-filed confocal microscopy (LC-OCT) images of nine patients with 19 warts of the mucous membranes and five patients with lesions that clinically mimic genital warts, including 12 molluscum contagiosum, 1 Fordyce's spot and one case of multiple acquired lymphangiomas. Most genital warts (15; 79%) showed dilated vessels surrounded by a whitish halo at dermoscopy. RCM and the new device LC-OCT could identify near histologic features such as the presence of hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, papillomatosis and enlarged vessels in all genital warts. However, the identification of koilocytes, which are the hallmark for the diagnosis of warts, was still difficult using both techniques. Non-invasive imaging techniques could also offer clues for the correct diagnosis of the imitators. This study confirmed the usefulness of dermoscopy in recognizing a precise pattern in warts and showed the potential use of RCM and LC-OCT to add additional findings to the clinical and dermoscopic examination.

Dermatoscopic patterns of cutaneous metastases: A multicentre cross-sectional study of the International Dermoscopy Society.

BACKGROUND: The detection of cutaneous metastases (CMs) from various primary tumours represents a diagnostic challenge. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to evaluate the general characteristics and dermatoscopic features of CMs from different primary tumours. METHODS: Retrospective, multicentre, descriptive, cross-sectional study of biopsy-proven CMs. RESULTS: We included 583 patients (247 females, median age: 64 years, 25%-75% percentiles: 54-74 years) with 632 CMs, of which 52.2% (n = 330) were local, and 26.7% (n = 169) were distant. The most common primary tumours were melanomas (n = 474) and breast cancer (n = 59). Most non-melanoma CMs were non-pigmented (n = 151, 95.6%). Of 169 distant metastases, 54 (32.0%) appeared on the head and neck region. On dermatoscopy, pigmented melanoma metastases were frequently structureless blue (63.6%, n = 201), while amelanotic metastases were typified by linear serpentine vessels and a white structureless pattern. No significant difference was found between amelanotic melanoma metastases and CMs of other primary tumours. CONCLUSIONS: The head and neck area is a common site for distant CMs. Our study confirms that most pigmented melanoma metastasis are structureless blue on dermatoscopy and may mimic blue nevi. Amelanotic metastases are typified by linear serpentine vessels and a white structureless pattern, regardless of the primary tumour.

A European Multicentric Investigation of Atypical Melanocytic Skin Lesions of Palms and Soles: The iDScore-PalmoPlantar Database.

Background: The differential diagnosis of atypical melanocytic palmoplantar skin lesions (aMPLs) represents a diagnostic challenge, including atypical nevi (AN) and early melanomas (MMs) that display overlapping clinical and dermoscopic features. We aimed to set up a multicentric dataset of aMPL dermoscopic cases paired with multiple anamnestic risk factors and demographic and morphologic data. Methods: Each aMPL case was paired with a dermoscopic and clinical picture and a series of lesion-related data (maximum diameter value; location on the palm/sole in 17 areas; histologic diagnosis; and patient-related data (age, sex, family history of melanoma/sunburns, phototype, pheomelanin, eye/hair color, multiple/dysplastic body nevi, and traumatism on palms/soles). Results: A total of 542 aMPL cases-113 MM and 429 AN-were collected from 195 males and 347 females. No sex prevalence was found for melanomas, while women were found to have relatively more nevi. Melanomas were prevalent on the heel, plantar arch, and fingers in patients aged 65.3 on average, with an average diameter of 17 mm. Atypical nevi were prevalent on the plantar arch and palmar area of patients aged 41.33 on average, with an average diameter of 7 mm. Conclusions: Keeping in mind the risk profile of an aMPL patient can help obtain a timely differentiation between malignant/benign cases, thus avoiding delayed and inappropriate excision, respectively, with the latter often causing discomfort/dysfunctional scarring, especially at acral sites.

Real-life practice of reflectance confocal microscopy in France: A prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Studies demonstrating the potential utility of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) have been performed under experimental conditions. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of RCM practice in real-life. METHODS: A multicenter, prospective study carried out in 10 university dermatology departments in France. RESULTS: Overall, 410 patients were enrolled. One-half of the patients (48%) were referred by private practice dermatologists. They were referred for diagnosis (84.9%) or presurgical mapping (13%). For diagnosis, the lesions were located on the face (62%), arms and legs (14.9%), and trunk (13.6%), and presurgical mapping was almost exclusively on the face (90.9%). Among those referred for diagnosis, the main indication was suspicion of a skin tumor (92.8%). Of these, 50.6% were spared biopsies after RCM. When RCM indicated surgery, histology revealed malignant lesions in 72.7% of cases. The correlation between RCM and histopathology was high, with a correlation rate of 82.76% and a kappa coefficient of 0.73 (0.63; 0.82). LIMITATIONS: This study was performed in the settings of French tertiary referral hospitals. CONCLUSION: This study shows that in real-life RCM can be integrated into the workflow of a public private network, which enables a less invasive diagnostic procedure for patients.

The combination of dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy increases the diagnostic confidence of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna.

The dermoscopic diagnosis of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna/lentigo maligna melanoma (AHLM/LMM) may be very difficult in its early stages because of lack of pigment. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is an imaging technique that is especially helpful for the diagnosis of lentigo maligna. To determine the diagnostic performances of dermoscopy and RCM in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs we evaluated dermoscopic and RCM images of consecutive cases of histopathologically confirmed AHLM/LMMs, amelanotic/hypomelanotic basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (AHBCCs/AHSCCs), amelanotic/hypomelanotic benign lesions (AHBLs), and actinic keratoses (AKs) from five participating centers. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, predictive values, and level of diagnosis confidence were calculated for both diagnostic procedures. Both dermoscopy and RCM showed diagnostic performance >97% in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBCC/AHSCCs and their combination slightly improved diagnostic performance, with accuracy increasing from 98.0% to 99.1%. Similarly, RCM in combination with dermoscopy showed a tiny increase in the diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs (accuracy increased from 87.2% to 88.8%) and versus AKs (accuracy increased from 91.4% to 93.4%). Although the increase in diagnostic performance due to RCM was modest, the combination of dermoscopy and RCM greatly increased the level of confidence; high confidence in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs increased from 36.2% with dermoscopy alone to 76.6% with dermoscopy plus RMC. Based on our results, dermoscopy and RCM should be complementary to improve not only diagnostic accuracy but also the level of diagnostic certainty in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs.

Treatment of Severe Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis With Bimekizumab.

Importance: Palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) and palmoplantar plaque psoriasis with pustules remain challenging to treat. Studies suggest that an interleukin 17 or interleukin 36 loop acts synergistically in these diseases to induce palmoplantar pustules. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of bimekizumab in treating PPP and palmoplantar plaque psoriasis with pustules. Design, Setting, and Participants: This case series involved 21 adults with PPP (11 patients) or palmoplantar plaque psoriasis with pustules (10 patients) treated at 1 of 7 tertiary dermatological centers in France from September 2022 through June 2023. All patients treated with bimekizumab for at least 3 months were included in the analyses. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was the posttreatment Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), scored as 0 (complete clearance), 1 (almost clear), 2 (mild), 3 (moderate), or 4 (severe). When relevant, evolution of joint pain and nail involvement was reported. Tolerance and potential adverse events were noted. Results: A total of 21 patients (mean [range] age, 46 [24-68] years; 19 females) were included. Eleven patients had isolated PPP, and 10 had palmoplantar plaque psoriasis with pustules. All of them, except 2 who received bimekizumab as first systemic therapy, had not responded to at least 1 systemic treatment (median [range], 3 [1-7] treatments), and/or had adverse events leading to the discontinuation of the treatment. Complete clearance (IGA score, 0) was achieved by 17 patients in 1 to 4 months. Three patients achieved an IGA score of 1, and 1 achieved an IGA score of 2. Three patients with PPP also presented with acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau. Nail involvement showed 50% to 70% improvement after 4 to 6 months of bimekizumab treatment for these 3 patients. Two patients had SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) syndrome; both had complete clearance of skin lesions associated with joint pain improvement. Four patients (19%) with candidiasis were successfully treated with oral antifungal agents. None of the patients had to stop bimekizumab treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this case series suggest that bimekizumab could be an appealing approach for treating PPP, palmoplantar plaque psoriasis with pustules, and SAPHO syndrome. Prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm these encouraging initial results.

Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography (LC-OCT) for Skin Imaging in Dermatology.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a non-invasive optical imaging technique based on a combination of the principles of optical coherence tomography and reflectance confocal microscopy with line-field illumination, which can generate cell-resolved images of the skin in vivo. This article reports on the LC-OCT technique and its application in dermatology. The principle of the technique is described, and the latest technological innovations are presented. The technology has been miniaturized to fit within an ergonomic handheld probe, allowing for the easy access of any skin area on the body. The performance of the LC-OCT device in terms of resolution, field of view, and acquisition speed is reported. The use of LC-OCT in dermatology for the non-invasive detection, characterization, and therapeutic follow-up of various skin pathologies is discussed. Benign and malignant melanocytic lesions, non-melanocytic skin tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis, and inflammatory and infectious skin conditions are considered. Dedicated deep learning algorithms have been developed for assisting in the analysis of LC-OCT images of skin lesions.

Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography for the Diagnosis of Skin Carcinomas: Real-Life Data over Three Years.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) can help the clinical diagnosis of skin diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of LC-OCT for the diagnosis of the most frequent non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), i.e., basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Comparing LC-OCT diagnostic performances with those of dermoscopy, histopathological examination was used as a gold standard. For every study endpoint, the diagnostic ability of LC-OCT revealed superiority over the dermoscopic examination. In particular, a significant increase in specificity was observed. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy and LC-OCT for the diagnosis of malignancy were, respectively, 0.97 (CI 0.94-0.99), 0.43 (CI 0.36-0.51), and 0.77 (CI 0.72-0.81) for dermoscopy and 0.99 (CI 0.97-1.00), 0.90 (CI 0.84-0.94), and 0.96 (CI 0.93-0.97) for LC-OCT. The positive predictive value (PPV) resulted in 0.74 (CI 0.69-0.78) for dermoscopy and 0.94 (CI 0.91-0.97) for LC-OCT, and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 0.89 (CI 0.81-0.95) for dermoscopy and 0.98 (CI 0.95-1.00) for LC-OCT. Finally, our real-life study showed a potentially important role of LC-OCT in the non-invasive diagnosis of NMSCs, especially BCC. The real-time imaging technique could spare unnecessary biopsies with an increased sensitivity, a much higher specificity, and better accuracy than clinical assessment with dermoscopy alone.

Impact of Baricitinib on Patients' Quality of Life after One Year of Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis in Real-World Practice: Results of the Observatory of Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases Registry.

The efficacy and safety of baricitinib for treatment of atopic dermatitis have been demonstrated in clinical trials; however, very few real-life studies have been published to date. The Observatory of Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases (OMCCI) registry was initiated to prospectively determine the long-term impairment caused by chronic inflammatory dermatoses on patients' lives. The study included 88 patients starting baricitinib for treatment of atopic dermatitis. Clinical evaluation and patient-reported outcomes were recorded at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. After 6 months and 1 year of follow-up, 65 and 47 patients, respectively, were still being treated with baricitinib. Treatment failure was the main reason for discontinuation. Only 1 patient stopped baricitinib because of a side-effect. After 1 year of follow-up, the mean Eczema Area and Severity Index score decreased significantly from 20.7 to 6.4; the percentage of patients with severe atopic dermatitis decreased from 42.9% to 6.5% and a significant improvement in most patient-reported outcomes was noted. There was no difference in terms of efficacy whether or not patients were previously treated with dupilumab. The results remained stable after 6 and 12 months of treatment, which suggests a sustained efficacy of the treatment in patients who initially responded well.

Dermoscopy of atypical pigmented lesions of the face: Variation according to facial areas.

Atypical pigmented facial lesions (aPFLs)-including lentigo maligna (LM) and lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM), solar lentigo (SL), pigmented actinic keratosis (PAK), atypical nevi (AN), seborrheic keratosis (SK) and lichen planus-like keratosis (LPLK)-can exhibit clinical and dermoscopic overlapping features. We aimed to investigate if and how 14 dermoscopic features suggestive for the aforementioned aPFLs vary according to six facial sites among 1197 aPFLs cases (excised to rule out malignancy) along with lesion and patients' metadata. According to distribution and association analysis, aPFLs on the forehead of a male patient aged > 69 years displaying the obliterated follicular openings pattern, appear to be more at risk of malignancy. Of converse, aPFLs of the orbital/cheek/nose area with evident and regular follicular openings with diameter < 10 mm in a female aged below 68 are probably benign. The obliterated follicular openings, keratin plugs, evident and regular follicular openings and target-like pattern features differed significantly among six facial areas in all aPFLs cases. Lesion of the nose may show both features suggestive of malignancy and benignity (e.g. many SL and PAK may display target-like pattern and some LM/LMM cases display keratin plugs and evident and follicular openings), making these features less specific.

Omalizumab Drug Survival in Chronic Urticaria: A Retrospective Multicentric French Study.

BACKGROUND: Omalizumab (OMA) dramatically improves disease control and quality of life in patients with chronic urticaria (CU). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the discontinuation patterns of OMA and their determinants in a cohort of French patients with CU. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study in 9 French tertiary referral hospitals. All patients diagnosed with either spontaneous (CSU) and/or inducible (CIndU) CU who received at least 1 injection of OMA between 2009 and 2021 were included. We analyzed OMA drug survival and investigated possible determinants using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. RESULTS: A total of 878 patients were included in this study; 48.8% had CSU, 10.1% CIndU, and 41.1% a combination of both. OMA was discontinued in 408 patients, but the drug was later reintroduced in 50% of them. The main reason for discontinuing treatment was the achievement of a well-controlled disease in 50% of patients. Half of the patients were still being treated with OMA 2.4 years after the initiation of treatment. Drug survival was shorter in patients with CIndU and in those with an autoimmune background. In atopic patients, OMA was discontinued earlier in patients achieving a well-controlled disease. A longer OMA drug survival was observed in patients with a longer disease duration at initiation. CONCLUSION: In French patients with CU, the drug survival of OMA appears to be longer than that observed in previous studies conducted elsewhere, highlighting discrepancies in prescription and reimbursement possibilities. Further studies are warranted to develop customized OMA treatment schemes based on individual patterns.

Super-High Magnification Dermoscopy in 190 Clinically Atypical Pigmented Lesions.

Super-high (×400) magnification dermoscopy (D400) is a new non-invasive imaging technique that has been shown to add information for the differential diagnosis of melanocytic lesions in a pilot study. Our study aimed to confirm if D400 can add details for the discrimination of clinically atypical nevus and melanoma. This is a retrospective observational, multicentric study enrolling patients who received ×20 (D20) and ×400 (D400) magnification dermoscopic examinations of pigmented skin lesions. Dermoscopic images were retrospectively evaluated by three observers for the presence/absence of nine D20 and twenty D400 dermoscopic features defined in the previous pilot study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to find predictors of benign and malignant behaviors. At D20, an atypical pigment network, blue-whitish veil, atypical vascular pattern, regression, and homogenous pattern were more frequent in melanoma than in nevi (p < 0.001). At D400, melanoma showed more frequently than benign lesions, melanocytes with an irregular arrangement and irregular in shape and size (p < 0.001). A network with edged papillae was more frequent in benign lesions than melanomas (p < 0.001). Our study confirms that D400 can identify melanocytes with an irregular arrangement, and irregularities in shape and size in melanomas, adding information to the conventional D20 examination.

A risk-scoring model for the differential diagnosis of lentigo maligna and other atypical pigmented facial lesions of the face: The facial iDScore.

BACKGROUND: Due to progressive ageing of the population, the incidence of facial lentigo maligna (LM) of the face is increasing. Many benign simulators of LM and LMM, known as atypical pigmented facial lesions (aPFLs-pigmented actinic keratosis, solar lentigo, seborrheic keratosis, seborrheic-lichenoid keratosis, atypical nevus) may be found on photodamaged skin. This generates many diagnostic issues and increases the number of biopsies, with a subsequent impact on aesthetic outcome and health insurance costs. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to develop a risk-scoring classifier-based algorithm to estimate the probability of an aPFL being malignant. A second aim was to compare its diagnostic accuracy with that of dermoscopists so as to define the advantages of using the model in patient management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 154 dermatologists analysed 1111 aPFLs and their management in a teledermatology setting: They performed pattern analysis, gave an intuitive clinical diagnosis and proposed lesion management options (follow-up/reflectance confocal microscopy/biopsy). Each case was composed of a dermoscopic and/or clinical picture plus metadata (histology, age, sex, location, diameter). The risk-scoring classifier was developed and tested on this dataset and then validated on 86 additional aPFLs. RESULTS: The facial Integrated Dermoscopic Score (iDScore) model consisted of seven dermoscopic variables and three objective parameters (diameter ≥ 8 mm, age ≥ 70 years, male sex); the score ranged from 0 to 16. In the testing set, the facial iDScore-aided diagnosis was more accurate (AUC = 0.79 [IC 95% 0.757-0.843]) than the intuitive diagnosis proposed by dermatologists (average of 43.5%). In the management study, the score model reduced the number of benign lesions sent for biopsies by 41.5% and increased the number of LM/LMM cases sent for reflectance confocal microscopy or biopsy instead of follow-up by 66%. CONCLUSIONS: The facial iDScore can be proposed as a feasible tool for managing patients with aPFLs.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography in melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin tumors.

INTRODUCTION: Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a recently introduced, non-invasive skin imaging technique combining the technical advantages of reflectance confocal microscopy and conventional OCT in terms of isotropic resolution and in-tissue penetration. Several studies have been published so far about the use of LC-OCT in melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin tumors. The aim of this review was to summarize the currently available data on the use of LC-OCT for benign and malignant melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin tumors. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We searched scientific databases for any literature published up to 30th April 2023 and concerning the use of LC-OCT for melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin tumors. Identified papers were evaluated, and relevant information was extracted. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 29 studies were found including original articles, short reports, and letters to the Editor: 6 applied to melanocytic skin tumors, 22 to non-melanocytic skin tumors and 1 to both. The use of LC-OCT increased the diagnostic accuracy for melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions. The highest diagnostic performance was found for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), but significant improvements in the diagnostic accuracy were also detected for the differentiation of actinic keratosis (AK) from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and of melanoma from nevi. The LC-OCT features of other skin tumors were also described and successfully correlated with histopathology. CONCLUSIONS: LC-OCT proved to increase the diagnostic accuracy for melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions, thanks to the combination of high resolution/penetration, 3D reconstructions, and integrated dermoscopy. Although BCC seems the most suitable tumors for LC-OCT examination, the device is extremely performant for the differentiation of AK from SCC and the discrimination of melanoma from nevi as well. Additional studies on diagnostic performance and new investigations about the presurgical assessment of tumor margins with LC-OCT and its association with human and artificial intelligence algorithms are in progress.

Inflammatory and infectious skin diseases in line-field confocal optical coherence tomography: state of the art.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a new non-invasive dermatological imaging device. We summarized the available data on the use of LC-OCT for inflammatory and infectious diseases. In February 2023, we searched for all articles concerning the use of LC-OCT in inflammatory and infectious diseases. A total number of 14 papers were found and evaluated, and relevant information was extracted. LC-OCT can reveal architectural changes in the skin. Inflammatory cells are barely visible. It can highlight the level of fluid accumulation, the thickness of different epidermal layers, and the presence of ''foreign bodies'' such as parasites.

Cutaneous Necrosis Over the Nose and Lower Limbs Induced by Acenocoumarol: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Coumarin derivatives are the most used class of oral anticoagulants, and almost 1-2% of adults worldwide take it in the form of warfarin (WA) or acenocoumarol (AC). Cutaneous necrosis is a rare and severe complication of oral anticoagulant therapy. Most commonly, it occurs in the first 10 days, and the incidence peaks between the third and sixth day of starting treatment. Cutaneous necrosis due to AC therapy is underreported in the literature, and studies refer to this condition as "coumarin-induced skin necrosis"; however, this term is not totally accurate, as coumarin itself has no anticoagulant properties. We report a case of a 78-year-old female patient with AC-induced skin necrosis, who presented with cutaneous ecchymosis purpura over her face, arms, and lower extremities 3 hours after AC intake.