title: Dermoscopy of pigmented lesions of the vulva: a retrospective morphological study.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncologic Dermatology, Santa Maria and San Gallicano Institute of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zalaudek
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Argenziano
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buccini
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Simone
authors.forename: Vitaliano
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Silipo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eibenschutz
authors.forename: Giustino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Covello
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sperduti
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catricalà
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D046169:Dermoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008548:Melanosis / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014844:Vulva / Q000473:pathology; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult