<p>A 36 year old man presented with a 14 month history of a slow growing lesion on his right shin. The lesion was asymptomatic. What is the diagnosis?</p>
Dermoscopy - Introduction, Terminology and Structures
A document to help you understand the dermoscopic descriptions used in this blog.
Dermoscopy Algorithm
To help you work through dermoscopic cases.
<p>Clinically there is a pink-brown nodule, <strong>and</strong> <strong>pink should make you think</strong>. The clinical and dermoscopic diagnostic accuracy of pink nodules is much lower than when compared to more pigmented lesions, even so there can be clues. </p>
<p>In this case there is dermoscopic <strong>asymmetry</strong>, the whole lesion is mapped out by the black circle. The other key feature is that of an <strong>atypical white network</strong> (purple arrows). As you will see from the algorithm, asymmetry plus an atypical white network is suspicious for melanoma. The diagnosis was confirmed as a nodular melanoma with a Breslow thickness of 0.9mm.</p>
<p>Regarding terminology some use terms such as a negative pigment network or an inverse pigment network, personally I like to describe what I see, which in this case is an atypical white network. </p>
