Diagnosis of actinic keratosis by dermatoscopy

Abstract

Introduction: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a local introepidermal atypia of keratinocytes, formed as a result of intense and prolonged exposure to sunlight. AK lesions located on exposed areas of skin, mostly on the face, in this regard, a more relevant non-invasive diagnostic techniques, primarily dermatoscopy. Material and methods: We examined 35 patients and revealed they have 204 hearth. Results: Of the 204 lesions erythematous form was found in 160 (78, 4%) cases, keratotic - 24 (11,8%), pigmental (9.8 %). Patients with AK most private dermatoscopic signs were erythema (90,2%), vascular structures (67,65%), keratin scales (51,47%), pseudonetwork (23,04%). Discussion: Analyzing dermoscopic picture of the most common forms of AK met the characteristics for each shape. A detailed study of vascular structures allows for the differential diagnosis of cancer in situ. While AK watched point and the glomerular vessels of not more than 10% of cases, which helped to differentiate AK from cancer in situ, in which such vessels were found in 40%. Glomerular vessels are not met in our study and the points were only 2.45% of the cases. Keratotic AK was characterized in 100% of cases the presence of keratin scales. In pigment form, we revealed the dark brown streaks (80%), dark brown points (50%), brown globules (30%), dark brown blots (10%) and slate-grey dots (10%). But the gold standard for the differential diagnosis with maligna lentigo is a morphological study. Conclusion: AK has specific characteristics in treatment research, which helps to differentiate it from other benign and malignant tumors of the skin, and to diagnose it in its earliest stages without resorting to invasive procedures. Effective diagnosis of AK reduces the risk of malignant transformation and contribute to the selection of adequate and necessary treatment tactics.