Dermoscopy and entomology (entomodermoscopy)

Dermoscopic Findings in Clinically Diagnosed Cases of Plantar Warts, Corns, and Calluses: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

 With the naked eye, it can frequently be challenging to tell a plantar wart from a corn or callus. A non-invasive diagnostic method called dermoscopy allows for the inspection of morphological features that are not apparent to the unaided eye. This study aimed to examine the dermoscopic findings in pared and unpared cases of palmoplantar warts, corns, and calluses.

METHODS

Seventy patients who had palmoplantar warts, corns, and calluses were included in this study. A predesigned structured format was used to document the dermoscopic findings.

RESULT

The majority of patients (51.4%) had warts followed by callus (28.6%) and corn (20%). On dermoscopic examination, all unpared and pared cases of warts had homogenous black/red dots. Translucent central core was present in 92.85% unpared and 100% pared lesions of corns. Homogenous opacity was present in 75% unpared and 100% pared cases of callus. There was no association between unpared and pared lesions (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The accuracy of identifying various clinical types of cutaneous warts, calluses, and corns can be improved by dermoscopy without paring.

Dermatoscopy of Infections and Infestations

Dermoscopy is a non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of skin diseases. Entomodermoscopy is a branch of dermoscopy that deals with infections and infestations. The use of dermoscopy for diagnosis of infections and infestations is rapidly increasing as it can provide useful clues related to diagnosis and effectiveness of treatment. It serves as a useful adjunct to microbiological and histopathological examination. In some cases, like scabies dermoscopy can even clinch the diagnosis.

Update on Dermoscopy and Infectious Skin Diseases

Nowadays, dermoscopy is a global worldwide diffuse diagnostic tool supporting clinicians in their daily hard task of correct orientation among dermatological diseases. Born to be an instrument for early diagnosis of skin cancer, the dermatoscope is now considered the dermatologist's stethoscope, as it can be routinely used to support diagnosis in general dermatology, so spreading its utility in cutaneous inflammatory and infectious diseases, as adjuvant and not substitute to histology and potassium hydroxide examination. As concerns the latter, plenty of papers have been published since the first description of dermoscopic findings of scabies. The aim of this review is to give the clinician a practical approach to dermoscopic parameters of cutaneous infectious diseases with a focus on the latest updates in this topic.

Histopathological features of tungiasis in Peru

Tungiasis is an ectoparasitic skin disease caused by Tunga penetrans and Tunga trimamillata. There is a lack of histopathological studies that evaluate the recognition of this flea in tissues. We describe the ex vivo dermoscopic and the histopathological patterns of six cases and relate the findings to the developmental stage of the parasite as defined by the Fortaleza classification: two were classified as Fortaleza 3b, 3 as 4a, and 1 as 4b. Two dermoscopic patterns were observed: a brown pigmented ring and a radial crown with a central pore. The most common histopathological findings were an eosinophilic cuticle, eggs in different stages of development, tracheal rings (parasite), and basal hyperplasia (host). The eosinophilic cuticle, eggs in different stages of evolution, and tracheal rings can help to establish the diagnosis when other parts of the parasite are lacking. The Fortaleza staging may represent a tool for pathology reporting purposes.