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Dermoscopy of pigmented lesions of the vulva: a retrospective morphological study
Angela Ferrari1, Iris Zalaudek, Giuseppe Argenziano
1Department of Oncologic Dermatology, Santa Maria and San Gallicano Institute of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Background:
The dermoscopic patterns of pigmented skin tumors are influenced by the body site.
Objective:
To evaluate the clinical and dermoscopic features associated with pigmented vulvar lesions.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of clinical and dermoscopic images of vulvar lesions. The χ² test was used to test the association between clinical data and histopathological diagnosis.
Results:
A total of 42 (32.8%) melanocytic and 86 (67.2%) nonmelanocytic vulvar lesions were analyzed. Nevi significantly prevailed in younger women compared with melanomas and melanosis and exhibited most commonly a globular/cobblestone (51.3%) and a mixed (21.6%) pattern. Dermoscopically all melanomas showed a multicomponent pattern. Melanotic macules showed clinical overlapping features with melanoma, but their dermoscopic patterns differed significantly from those observed in melanomas.
Conclusion:
The diagnosis and management of pigmented vulvar lesions should be based on a good clinicodermoscopic correlation. Dermoscopy may be helpful in the differentiation of solitary melanotic macules from early melanoma.
