title: Dermatoscopy of genital warts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genital warts may mimic a variety of conditions, thus complicating their diagnosis and treatment. The recognition of early flat lesions presents a diagnostic challenge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to describe the dermatoscopic features of genital warts, unveiling the possibility of their diagnosis by dermatoscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dermatoscopic patterns of 61 genital warts from 48 consecutively enrolled male patients were identified with their frequencies being used as main outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lesions were examined dermatoscopically and further classified according to their dermatoscopic pattern. The most frequent finding was an unspecific pattern, which was found in 15/61 (24.6%) lesions; a fingerlike pattern was observed in 7 (11.5%), a mosaic pattern in 6 (9.8%), and a knoblike pattern in 3 (4.9%) cases. In almost half of the lesions, pattern combinations were seen, of which a fingerlike/knoblike pattern was the most common, observed in 11/61 (18.0%) cases. Among the vascular features, glomerular, hairpin/dotted, and glomerular/dotted vessels were the most frequent finding seen in 22 (36.0%), 15 (24.6%), and 10 (16.4%) of the 61 cases, respectively. In 10 (16.4%) lesions no vessels were detected. Hairpin vessels were more often seen in fingerlike (χ(2) = 39.31, P = .000) and glomerular/dotted vessels in knoblike/mosaic (χ(2) = 9.97, P = .008) pattern zones; vessels were frequently missing in unspecified (χ(2) = 8.54, P = .014) areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only male patients were examined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a correlation between dermatoscopic patterns and vascular features reflecting the life stages of genital warts; dermatoscopy may be useful in the diagnosis of early-stage lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, The First Teaching Hospital, University of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Huiting
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Terri M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frühauf
authors.forename: H Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Soyer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soyer
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hofmann-Wellenhof
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000175:diagnosis*; D046169:Dermoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult