In addition to its use in pigmented and nonpigmented skin tumors, dermoscopy is gaining appreciation in assisting the diagnosis of nonneoplastic diseases, especially inflammatory dermatoses ...(inflammoscopy). In this field, dermoscopic examination should be considered as the second step of a "2-step procedure," always preceded by the establishment of a differential diagnosis on the basis of clinical examination. In this paper, we sought to provide an up-to-date overview on the use of dermoscopy in common inflammatory dermatoses based on the available literature data. For practical purposes, the analyzed dermatoses are grouped according to the clinical presentation pattern, in line with the 2-step procedure principle: erythematous-desquamative and papulosquamous dermatoses, papulokeratotic dermatoses, erythematous facial dermatoses, sclero-atrophic dermatoses, and miscellaneous.
Besides the well-known use in supporting the non-invasive diagnosis of non-tumoral dermatoses (general dermatology), dermoscopy has been shown to be a promising tool also in predicting and monitoring ...therapeutic outcomes of such conditions, with the consequent improvement/optimization of their treatment. In the present paper, we sought to provide an up-to-date overview on the use of dermoscopy in highlighting response predictor factors and evaluating therapeutic results in the field of general dermatology according to the current literature data. Several dermatoses may somehow benefit from such applications, including inflammatory conditions (psoriasis, lichen planus, dermatitis, granulomatous conditions, erythro-telangiectatic rosacea, Zoon balanitis and vulvitis, cutaneous mastocytosis, morphea and extra-genital lichen sclerosus), pigmentary disorders (vitiligo and melasma) and infectious dermatoses (scabies, pediculosis, demodicosis and viral warts).
Although diagnosis of cutaneous granulomatous disorders (CGDs) is usually suspected based on morphologic findings, localization, and anamnestic data, clinical differentiation from each other and from ...similar dermatoses may be challenging. Recently, dermatoscopy has been demonstrated to be a useful tool for assisting the recognition of several CGDs. This article provides a current overview of the dermatoscopic features of the main noninfectious and infectious CGDs, including sarcoidosis, necrobiosis lipoidica, granuloma annulare, rheumatoid nodules, and leishmaniasis. Other, less common, CGDs are briefly addressed, including granulomatous rosacea, acne agminata, and leprosy.
Clinical differentiation between palmar psoriasis and chronic hand eczema may sometimes be a diagnostic challenge; in such cases histopathological analysis helps to differentiate the two conditions. ...In the present study, palmar psoriasis and chronic hand eczema were investigated using dermoscopy and the significance of specific dermoscopic features was assessed in order to improve their non‐invasive differentiation. Ten patients with biopsy‐proven palmar psoriasis and 11 patients with biopsy‐proven chronic hand eczema were included in the study. We found that the presence of diffuse white scales was significant in palmar psoriasis whereas the presence of yellowish scales, brownish‐orange dots/globules and yellowish‐orange crusts was significant in chronic hand eczema.
Dermoscopy of granuloma annulare has been investigated by several studies, but none of them took into account the variability of dermoscopic findings according to clinical characteristics and/or ...histological subtype.
To describe the dermoscopic features of classic granuloma annulare and seek possible dermoscopic clues related to specific clinical findings/histological subpatterns.
A representative dermoscopic image of a target lesion (the most active lesion underwent histological examination) was retrospectively assessed for the presence of specific morphological findings, correlating them with clinical variables, i.e. disease duration and extension (localized or generalized) and clinical aspect (annular or non-annular) and localization (trunk or extremities) of the biopsied lesion, and with histological subtype.
A total of 25 lesions from 25 subjects were analysed; an "interstitial" histological variant was detected in 11 cases, while a "palisading granuloma" histological pattern was found in 14 instances. The most common dermoscopic findings included blurry vessels having variable appearance (dotted, linear-irregular, and branching) over a more or less evident pinkish-reddish background, followed by whitish and/or yellowish-orange areas. Additional findings were rosettes, crystalline structures, and whitish scaling. No difference (p > 0.05) in the frequency of dermoscopic features according to clinical findings was found, while we observed a strict association (p < 0.001) between the presence of yellowish-orange structureless areas on dermoscopy and "palisading granuloma" histology.
The dermoscopic aspect of granuloma annulare is independent from clinical features but varies according to histological subtype, with the detection of yellowish-orange colour being indicative of the "palisading granuloma" variant.
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