Epiluminescence microscopy in clinical diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions?

Melanoma is also one of the clearest cases of a cancer for which early detection and treatment are critical. The ABCD (Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Colour variegation, Diameter >6 mm) criteria for assisting the visual recognition of early melanoma were introduced in 1985. 1 Friedman RJ Rigel DS Kopf AW Early detection of malignant melanoma: The role of physician examination and self examination of the skin. Ca. 1985; 35: 130-151 Google Scholar However, there have since been limited attempts to develop non-invasive tools to improve early diagnosis. One such tool is epiluminescence microscopy (ELM), first described in 1987. 2 Steiner A Pehamberger H Wolff K Improvement of diagnostic accuracy in pigmented skin lesions by epiluminescent light microscopy. Anticancer Res. 1987; 7: 433-434 PubMed Google Scholar Also known as skin-surface microscopy and dermatoscopy, ELM is a non-invasive method that, by employing the optical properties of oil immersion, makes subsurface structures of the skin accessible for in-vivo examination. Initially designed to be used with complex microscopic equipment, ELM can now be easily used in the general clinical setting with an inexpensive hand-held otoscope-like unit.