title: A Comparative Study Between Smartphone-Based Microscopy and Conventional Light Microscopy in 1021 Dermatopathology Specimens.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incorporation of high-resolution cameras into smartphones has allowed for a variety of medical applications including the use of lens attachments that provide telescopic, macroscopic, and dermatoscopic data, but the feasibility and performance characteristics of such a platform for use in dermatopathology have not been described.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the diagnostic performance of a smartphone microscope compared to traditional light microscopy in dermatopathology specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  A simple smartphone microscope constructed with a 3-mm ball lens was used to prospectively evaluate 1021 consecutive dermatopathology cases in a blinded fashion. Referred, consecutive specimens from the community were evaluated at a single university hospital. The performance characteristics of the smartphone platform were calculated by using conventional light microscopy as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancers, and other miscellaneous conditions by the phone microscopy platform, as compared with traditional light microscopy, were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For basal cell carcinoma (n = 136), the sensitivity and specificity of smartphone microscopy were 95.6% and 98.1%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for squamous cell carcinoma (n = 94) were 89.4% and 97.3%, respectively. The lowest sensitivity was found in melanoma (n = 15) at 60%, although the specificity was high at 99.1%. The accuracy of diagnosis of inflammatory conditions and other neoplasms was variable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mobile phone-based microscopy has excellent performance characteristics for the inexpensive diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancers in a setting where a traditional microscope is not available.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, Houston (Drs Jahan-Tigh and Rapini);|and the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Chinn).
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Jahan-Tigh
authors.forename: Garrett M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Chinn
authors.forename: Ronald P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Rapini
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000295:instrumentation*