title: Pigmented Spitz nevi: improvement of the diagnostic accuracy by epiluminescence microscopy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pigmented Spitz nevi have distinct clinical features but often may be difficult to differentiate from malignant melanoma by clinical criteria.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to use a new noninvasive diagnostic approach to improve the clinical diagnosis of Spitz nevi.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epiluminescence microscopy (ELM) is a new, noninvasive technique for which criteria for the diagnosis of melanocytic tumors, benign and malignant, recently have been established. These criteria were tested in an investigation of 54 pigmented Spitz nevi.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With ELM the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of pigmented Spitz nevi improved from 56% (clinical) to 93% (ELM).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that ELM criteria are useful to improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of Spitz nevi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology I, University of Vienna, Medical School, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pehamberger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wolff
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*