In vivo epiluminescence microscopy of pigmented skin lesions. I. Pattern analysis of pigmented skin lesions.

The importance of recognizing early melanoma is generally accepted. Because not all pigmented skin lesions can be diagnosed correctly by their clinical appearance, additional criteria are required for the clinical diagnosis of such lesions. In vivo epiluminescence microscopy provides for a more detailed inspection of the surface of pigmented skin lesions, and, by using the oil immersion technic, which renders the epidermis translucent, opens a new dimension of skin morphology by including the dermoepidermal junction into the macroscopic evaluation of a lesion. In an epiluminescence microscopy study of more than 3000 pigmented skin lesions we have defined morphologic criteria that are not readily apparent to the naked eye but that are detected easily by epiluminescence microscopy and represent relatively reliable markers of benign and malignant pigmented skin lesions. These features include specific patterns, colors, and intensities of pigmentation, as well as the configuration, regularity, and other characteristics of both the margin and the surface of pigmented skin lesions. Pattern analysis of these features permits a distinction between different types of pigmented skin lesions and, in particular, between benign and malignant growth patterns. Epiluminescence microscopy is thus a valuable addition to the diagnostic armamentarium of pigmented skin lesions at a clinical level.