Diagnosis and Management of Pigmented Skin Lesions Using Teledermatology

Abstract

Although teledermatology has been shown to be a reliable and accurate means of diagnosing and managing dermatologic conditions overall, some questions have been raised regarding its use for pigmented skin lesions. Of particular concern is the misdiagnosis of melanoma, which is an undesirable outcome whether an examination is performed via teledermatology or in person. This article reviews the literature that evaluates teledermatology’s use for the diagnosis and management of pigmented skin lesions. While the current evidence does not provide conclusive results, it does suggest inferior diagnostic accuracy for pigmented skin lesions when teledermatology has been directly compared to an in-person dermatologist’s examination. Teledermoscopy, the use of dermoscopy for telemedicine applications, has been shown to improve the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of telemedicine. The literature is limited by small sample sizes, in particular as it relates to melanoma, indicating the need for further study to provide more clarity regarding teledermatology’s use for pigmented lesions.