Facilitations in the Clinical Diagnosis of Human Scabies through the Use of Ultraviolet Light (UV-Scab Scanning): A Case-Series Study.

BACKGROUND: To confirm the suspicion of scabies, dermatologists have one pathognomonic sign, "the tunnel" through which Sarcoptes scabiei digs into the epidermis. Light microscopy is considered the most reliable procedure, but it is time-consuming and operator-dependent. Recently, dermoscopy has greatly improved the chances of recognizing mite in situ, but it is still linked to the examiner's experience and to the magnification capability of the device used. METHODS: This article, based on a case-series study, describes a novel diagnostic path, which uses an ultraviolet LED source at 365 nm and a digital camera for the evaluation of lesions that raise the suspicion of scabies. RESULTS: The gallery emits a naked-eye-visible wavy bluish-white linear luminescence, better than that of any standard lighting. UVA light is also able to identify Sarcoptes scabiei as a white or green point-shaped area. This sign can only be appreciated by enlarging its picture to full frame on a common PC monitor. CONCLUSIONS: Ultraviolet light (365 nm) seems to offer help in the diagnosis of scabies because it saves time compared with light microscopy and because it does not require contact with the patient's skin, as in dermoscopy. Although examiner experience remains an important factor, it is easily compensated by procedural simplicity, the cost of the devices and, especially, by the clarity of the results, even in non-specific lesions.

"Eczema" of the nape: A marker of pthiriasis capitis.

Pthirus pubis usually infests the pubis, inguinal folds, buttocks and perianal region. In hairy males or when the infestation is longstanding, this louse can also occur on the thighs, abdomen, chest, axillae and beard. Eyelashes may be involved in children. The involvement of the scalp is very rare. We describe four girls with P. pubis infestation located exclusively on the scalp which was characterized by a rash on the nape that can suggest a head and neck form of atopic dermatitis.

The Mite-Gallery Unit: A New Concept for Describing Scabies through Entodermoscopy.

Scabies has always represented a diagnostic challenge for dermatologists, especially in subclinical cases or in atypical ones due to the coexistence of other diseases. Fortunately, dermatoscopy has enabled easier and faster in situ diagnosis. The aim of this study is to examine old and new dermatoscopic signs that Sarcoptes scabiei produces on the skin during its whole life cycle through entodermoscopy (dermatoscopy with an entomological focus) which, unlike traditional optical microscope examination, allows the local micro-environment to be preserved intact. Patients were enrolled during outbreaks of scabies from hospitals or nursing homes for the elderly in Bari (Italy). The study was performed applying both immersion and polarized dry dermatoscopy. The systematic use of dermatoscopy highlighted the morphological complexity of the Sarcoptes tunnel that had been described previously as a simple unitary structure. On the contrary, it is possible to distinguish three separate segments of the burrow that introduce a new anatomo-functional concept called the Mite-Gallery Unit (MGU). This approach, based on the mite life cycle and local skin turnover (the latter usually being ignored), allows the dermatologist to recognize not only Sarcoptes using the gallery, but also new descriptors including tunnels without Sarcoptes, those with acari alone, and those with associated signs of inflammation. The diagnosis of scabies using optical microscopy until recently has always involved demonstrating the mite and its products outside the human body (on a glass slide) without taking into account exactly what happens within the epidermis. Entodermoscopy is a term used to encapsulate both the presence of the parasite, the usual target of microscopy, and the changes produced in the superficial layers of the epidermis in situ. Thus, the scabies tunnel or burrow can be shown to be composed of three parts, the Head, Body, and Tail, in which different events affecting both mite and host develop. The Mite-Gallery Unit provides a new anatomical and functional explanation of scabies because it provides a more comprehensive in vivo and in situ dermatoscopic diagnosis. In this respect, dermatoscopy takes into account the behavior of the mite in addition to its interaction with its habitat, the human skin.

Topical calcipotriol as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of clear cell acanthoma.

Although uncommonly diagnosed, clear cell acanthoma represents an original source of speculative interest for dermatologists. Due to its clinical variability, it is often only recognized accidentally after histology. Dermoscopy has improved the reliability of clinical diagnosis of typical clear cell acanthoma thanks to the vascular pinpoint pattern and desquamative, peripheral collarette. Generally, therapy of clear cell acanthoma is oriented towards ablative solutions, such as surgery or cryotherapy. We propose a conservative therapy, based on the application of topical calcipotriol, which has produced complete regression after 2 months and no relapse one year after the end of treatment. A dermatoscope monitored all changes of clear cell acanthoma, showing its utility not only in diagnosis but also in therapeutic follow-up. This new therapeutic approach should support an inflammatory etiology of clear cell acanthoma, although further observations are needed to confirm this.

Topical calcipotriol as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of clear cell acanthoma

Although uncommonly diagnosed, clear cell acanthoma represents an original source of speculative interest for dermatologists. Due to its clinical variability, it is often only recognized accidentally after histology. Dermoscopy has improved the reliability of clinical diagnosis of typical clear cell acanthoma thanks to the vascular pinpoint pattern and desquamative, peripheral collarette. Generally, therapy of clear cell acanthoma is oriented towards ablative solutions, such as surgery or cryotherapy. We propose a conservative therapy, based on the application of topical calcipotriol, which has produced complete regression after 2 months and no relapse one year after the end of treatment. A dermatoscope monitored all changes of clear cell acanthoma, showing its utility not only in diagnosis but also in therapeutic follow-up. This new therapeutic approach should support an inflammatory etiology of clear cell acanthoma, although further observations are needed to confirm this.