Digital dermoscopic follow-up of 1544 melanocytic nevi

The use of dermatoscopy increases melanocytic nevi diagnostic accuracy, and is important for dermoscopic monitoring of atypical lesions, allowing to find significant changes in the earliest stage. Dermoscopic diagnosis of melanocytic nevi type in a group of patients and their follow-up with the assessment of changes occurred during dermoscopic monitoring. Dermoscopically, we followed the nevic size and pattern, the color and pigment distribution. Follow-up visits were scheduled depending on the type of the melanocytic lesions and the patient's compliance. The nevi that have shown significant dermoscopic changes were excised and histopathologically examined. The study was performed on a group of 92 patients, mostly females (56.5%), mean age of 29.1 years. Of the total of 1544 melanocytic nevi examined, 27.4% were atypical and 72.6% common nevi. The average dermoscopic examination interval was 14.1 months. During monitoring, 35.5% atypical nevi and 22.5% common nevi have modified, especially changes in pigmentation and color (31% atypical nevi and 9.9% common nevi) and the appearance of new dermoscopic structures (12.7% atypical nevi and common nevi 8.5%). Of the total nevi monitored, 3% showed significant changes and were excised and examined pathologically, without diagnose of any malignant transformation. In our study, dermoscopic changes appeared in atypical as well as in common nevi. The dermoscopic monitoring of melanocytic-pigmented lesions remains an accessible method of assessment the evolution of nevi and can reduce the risk of appearance of malignant melanoma in the general population.