Dermatoscopy (epiluminescent superfcial microscopy): in vivo diagnosis of skin melanoma (literature review)

The present review describes the history of one of the promising methods of non-invasive diagnosis of skin melanoma, dermatoscopy. The method of epiluminescent superficial skin microscopy was first applied in 1663 by Johan Christophorus Kolhaus. The history of dermatoscopy goes back to the description of the first differentially-diagnostic algorithm (Pattern analysis) as well as the invention and clinical application of manual dermatoscope. The results of examination of 90 patients with 175 skin neoplasms (including 20 melanomas) using digital photos, epiluminescent and fluorescent dermatoscopies have been presented.