title: Automated dermoscopy image analysis of pigmented skin lesions.
abstract: Dermoscopy (dermatoscopy, epiluminescence microscopy) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique for the in vivo observation of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs), allowing a better visualization of surface and subsurface structures (from the epidermis to the papillary dermis). This diagnostic tool permits the recognition of morphologic structures not visible by the naked eye, thus opening a new dimension in the analysis of the clinical morphologic features of PSLs. In order to reduce the learning-curve of non-expert clinicians and to mitigate problems inherent in the reliability and reproducibility of the diagnostic criteria used in pattern analysis, several indicative methods based on diagnostic algorithms have been introduced in the last few years. Recently, numerous systems designed to provide computer-aided analysis of digital images obtained by dermoscopy have been reported in the literature. The goal of this article is to review these systems, focusing on the most recent approaches based on content-based image retrieval systems (CBIR).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Section of Pathology, Second University of Naples, Via L. Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy. alfonsobaldi@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quartulli
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murace
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dragonetti
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manganaro
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bizzi