Dermatofluoroscopy diagnostics in different pigmented skin lesions: Strengths and weaknesses

Summary Background The melanin fluorescence of skin lesions is measurable with two‐photon excitation, a process termed dermatofluoroscopy, which has shown a shift from the green spectra in benign melanocytic lesions to the red spectra in melanoma. This study addressed the question as to which kind of pigmented lesions can be correctly diagnosed as melanin‐bearing malignant tumors. Methods 476 pigmented lesions including 101 cutaneous melanomas were analyzed with dermatofluoroscopy, measuring the melanin fluorescence in a grid‐like fashion with a separation of measurement points of 0.2 mm. The results of the dermatofluoroscopy are presented as a diagnostic score with a cut‐off score of ≥ 28 for the diagnosis of melanin‐bearing malignant tumors, and were compared to the gold standard of histopathology. Results A highly significant difference (p