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Combining Reflectance Confocal Microscopy with Optical Coherence Tomography for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancers via Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2022
Diagnostic pitfall: pigmented lesion of the nipple--correlation between dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy
1Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Isabel.Kolm@usz.ch
We present an unusual case of a nevus of the nipple changing during pregnancy which caused a diagnostic pitfall. Nevi on the nipple and areola are infrequent, and diagnostic criteria for clinical, dermoscopy or reflectance confocal microscopy examination for nevi in this 'special location' are still missing. We comment on the literature on dermoscopic findings in mammary lesions and their management during pregnancy, as well as the challenging histopathology of nevi along the milk line. Finally, we focus on two main limitations of reflectance confocal microscopy: the misinterpretation of dendritic cells and the limitation of the imaging depth.
We present an unusual case of a nevus of the nipple changing during pregnancy which caused a diagnostic pitfall. Nevi on the nipple and areola are infrequent, and diagnostic criteria for clinical, dermoscopy or reflectance confocal microscopy examination for nevi in this 'special location' are still missing. We comment on the literature on dermoscopic findings in mammary lesions and their management during pregnancy, as well as the challenging histopathology of nevi along the milk line. Finally, we focus on two main limitations of reflectance confocal microscopy: the misinterpretation of dendritic cells and the limitation of the imaging depth.

