title: Face-to-face diagnosis vs telediagnosis of pigmented skin tumors: a teledermoscopic study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teledermoscopy uses telecommunication technologies to transfer images of pigmented skin lesions, including clinical and anamnestic data, via e-mail to specialized centers for teleconsultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six pigmented skin lesions examined on a face-to-face basis in a skin lesion clinic in L'Aquila, Italy, were sent via e-mail on a standard-resolution color monitor for consultation at a university dermatology department in Graz, Austria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Digital photographs of the clinical and dermoscopic images of all pigmented tumors were taken with a stereomicroscope connected to a high-resolution video camera in Truevision advanced graphic array (Targa) format file and converted successively into a Joint Photographic Expert Group (PEG) format file. All lesions were excised surgically and diagnosed histopathologically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic concordance between face-to-face diagnosis and telediagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The diagnostic concordance was 60 (91%) of 66 cases. The number of correct telediagnoses was lower, but the difference was not statistically significant (Wilcoxon test, P = .10). The accuracy of the telediagnoses was not related to the quality of the images, but highly depended on the level of diagnostic difficulty of a given pigmented skin tumor (Spearman correlation, P= .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teleconsultation of clinical and dermoscopic images of skin tumors via e-mail provides a similar degree of diagnostic accuracy as face-to-face diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smolle
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peris
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hofmann-Wellenhof
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dell'Eva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burroni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chimenti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kerl
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Soyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019723:Endoscopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010348:Patient Care Team; D019114:Remote Consultation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation*