Papers by Verena Ahlgrimm-siess
Die Dermatologie
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British Journal of Dermatology, May 1, 2008
A systematic examination and comparison of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) features of ... more A systematic examination and comparison of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) features of benign naevi showing different dermoscopic patterns has never been performed. Systematically to assess CSLM features of dermoscopically benign reticular, globular and homogeneous naevi and to correlate CSLM findings with dermoscopy and histopathology. CSLM was performed on 30 naevi in 29 patients including 10 reticular, 10 globular and 10 homogeneous naevi showing a uniform pigmentation pattern with dermoscopy. Cytomorphological and architectural features of each naevus were assessed and distinct characteristics for each group of naevi were defined. CSLM features were correlated with the histopathological findings and their applicability for the diagnosis of naevi with different dermoscopic patterns was assessed by two blinded observers. A correct diagnosis was made in 26 and 28 of 30 cases, respectively, by two blinded observers using previously defined CSLM features. Well-defined melanocytic caps, well-defined edged papillae and black papillae concurrently with the absence of white papillae were found in all reticular naevi (10 of 10). Numerous, large junctional/dermal melanocytic nests (10 of 10), ill-defined edged papillae (eight of 10) and white papillae (nine of 10) were found in globular naevi. Homogeneous naevi showed an intermediate pattern between reticular and globular naevi: ill-defined edged papillae (10 of 10), black and white papillae within the same naevus (eight of 10) and junctional/dermal melanocytic nests (three of 10) were seen. Different dermoscopic patterns of benign naevi are reflected in different architectural features in CSLM. As benign naevi show a regular architecture of monomorphous melanocytes in contrast to melanomas, similar dermoscopic features of naevi and early melanomas may be differentiated by CSLM.
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Diagnostics, Oct 1, 2022
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Dermatologic Surgery, Jul 1, 2017
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British Journal of Dermatology, 2009
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Current Dermatology Reports, Apr 25, 2018
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Archives of Dermatology, Jun 1, 2010
Dermoscopy, particularly polarized dermoscopy, has become an important tool for the examination o... more Dermoscopy, particularly polarized dermoscopy, has become an important tool for the examination of vascular structures of pigmented and nonpigmented skin lesions. Branching (arborizing) vessels can be found in about 82% of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). 1 Small-diameter branching ...
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Archives of Dermatology, Feb 1, 2011
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Archives of Dermatology, Mar 1, 2010
Dermoscopy, particularly polarized dermoscopy, has become an important tool for the examination o... more Dermoscopy, particularly polarized dermoscopy, has become an important tool for the examination of vascular structures of pigmented and nonpigmented skin lesions. Branching (arborizing) vessels can be found in about 82% of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). 1 Small-diameter branching ...
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Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, Sep 1, 2009
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) allows noninvasive imaging of the epidermis and superficial... more Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) allows noninvasive imaging of the epidermis and superficial dermis. Like dermoscopy, RCM acquires images in the horizontal plane (en face), allowing assessment of tissue pathology underlying dermoscopic structures of interest at a cellular-level resolution. Thus, clinicians using dermoscopy may find RCM to be particularly useful. Our aim was to show the value of RCM for diagnosis and management decisions related to pigmented and nonpigmented skin neoplasms seen in daily practice. Six cases of clinically and dermoscopically equivocal skin lesions, for which RCM facilitated making the correct diagnosis, are presented. Final diagnoses were made based on histopathologic analysis. Three flat pigmented skin lesions with dermoscopic signs of regression showed distinct RCM features that allowed their correct classification as pigmented basal cell carcinoma, pigmented actinic keratosis, and melanoma on sun-damaged skin. A flat nonpigmented skin lesion on the face, which did not show distinct clinical or dermoscopic features, was correctly diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma based on RCM findings. In addition, the response of a pigmented actinic keratosis and a melanoma in situ on sun-damaged skin to noninvasive topical treatment was monitored using RCM. RCM is a promising and practical imaging tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of pigmented and nonpigmented skin lesions.
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Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology, Jul 1, 2013
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Dermatology, 2012
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Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft, Mar 1, 2019
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Dermatology, 2010
We report a 26-year-old male with a 4 mm diameter, asymmetric, irregularly pigmented and bordered... more We report a 26-year-old male with a 4 mm diameter, asymmetric, irregularly pigmented and bordered, brown maculopapular lesion on the right nipple present since childhood with enlargement of the lesion within the last 3 months. Dermoscopy revealed a global globular pattern with the presence of focally light brown globules and irregular black globules in its centre. In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) revealed dense junctional and dermal melanocytic nests of different sizes and shapes that appeared as sharply demarcated round to oval reflective structures; cellular outlines of single melanocytes were not always detected. In the centre of the lesion within the upper dermis, irregularly shaped, homogeneously reflecting structures were observed. As a clear differentiation between clusters of melanophages and melanocytic nests could not be made with certainty, an excisional biopsy was performed to establish the diagnosis of compound nevus with features of congenital nevus. Therefore, to prove that dermoscopic globules correlated with melanophages, the correlation between dermoscopic RCM and histopathology was necessary.
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Skin Research and Technology, May 1, 2009
Background/purpose: In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) represents a novel imaging ... more Background/purpose: In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) represents a novel imaging tool that allows the non‐invasive examination of skin cancer morphology at a quasi histological resolution without biopsy. Previous studies dealt with the search for diagnostic, but subjective visual criteria. In this study we examined the correlation between objectively reproducible image‐analysis features und visual morphology in melanocytic skin tumours using CLSM.Methods: Eight hundred and fifty‐seven CLSM tumour images including 408 benign nevi and 449 melanoma images were evaluated. Image analysis was based on features of the wavelet transform and classification tree analysis (CART) was used for classification purposes. In a second step, morphologic details of CLSM images, which have turned out to be of diagnostic significance by the classification algorithm were evaluated.Results: CART analysis of the whole set of CLSM images correctly classified 97.55% of all melanoma images and 96.32% of all nevi images. Seven classification tree nodes seemed to indicate benign nevi, whereas six nodes were suggestive for melanoma morphology. The visual examination of selected nodes demonstrated that monomorphic melanocytic cells and melanocytic cell nests are characteristic for benign nevi whereas polymorphic melanocytic cells, disarray of melanocytic architecture and poorly defined or absent keratinocyte cell borders are characteristic for melanoma.Conclusion: Well‐known, but subjective CLSM criteria could be objectively reproduced by image analysis features and classification tree analysis. Moreover, features not accessible to the human eye seem to contribute to classification success.
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Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Mar 1, 2010
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Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft, Jul 1, 2021
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Papers by Verena Ahlgrimm-siess