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18. Easy photodermoscopy for teledermatology

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Easy photodermoscopy for teledermatology
Juan Pablo Castanedo-Cazares, Veronica Lepe, Bertha Torres-Alvarez, Benjamin Moncada
Letter to the Editor DOJ 9(1): 18

Dermatology Department. Hospital Central. Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi. castanju@yahoo.com


Figure 1

We read with great interest the article of Bennin published in your journal concerning the use of a digital camera for taking photomicrographs with the intention to present them at meetings or over the Internet [1]. His creative idea gave us another related one for these new versatile digital cameras. As we all know, there is an expanding use of teledermatology, teledermoscopy, and teledermatopathology all over the world [2,3,4]. However, the relative high cost of establishing a fully-equipped telemedicine unit for a developing country is a major disadvantage. For that reason, the optimization of easy and non-expensive available equipment could provide an affordable way to carry out teledermatology in countries with limited access to expensive technology. Bennin's demonstration that a Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera could be used to capture good images from the eye piece of a microscope, led us to try our Nikon Coolpix 995 mounted on a Welch Allyn oil dermoscope (Episcope®) for the purpose of capturing digital images and transferring them within our regional teledermatology network. We found that it was not necessary to use any special attachment because they fit together almost perfectly (Figure 1).


Figure 2Figure 3

Figure 4Figure 5

The results were initially excellent, but the color was deeply orange tinted that impaired an accurate interpretation of the image (Figures 2 and 3). This problem was promptly overcome by adjusting the built in filter of the camera to incandescent light, getting a better image of the lesions (Figures 4 and 5). We found this combination of equipment to be a very useful approach to acquiring precise visual information to be transferred between sites. We are now encouraging the use of this method to our referring colleagues as an alternative to more expensive epiluminiscent photographic devices.

References

1. Bennin B. Photomicrography for the Multitude. Dermatology Online Journal 2001;7(2): 21.

2. Pak HS. Teledermatology and teledermatopathology. Semin Cutan Med Surg 2002;21:179-89.

3. Piccolo D, Smolle J, Wolf IH, et al. Face-to-face diagnosis vs telediagnosis of pigmented skin tumors: a teledermoscopic study. Arch Dermatol. 1999;135:1467-71.

4. Piccolo D, Soyer HP, Burgdorf W, et al. Concordance between telepathologic diagnosis and conventional histopathologic diagnosis: a multiobserver store-and-forward study on 20 skin specimens. Arch Dermatol 2002;138:53-8.

© 2003 Dermatology Online Journal