The lancet oncology
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The accuracy of the dinical diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma with the unaided eye is only about 60%. Dermoscopy, a non-invasive, in vivo technique for the microscopic examination of pigmented skin lesions, has the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Our objectives were to review previous publications, to compare the accuracy of melanoma diagnosis with and without dermoscopy, and to assess the influence of study characteristics on the diagnostic accuracy. ⋯ A comparison of various diagnostic algorithms for dermoscopy showed no significant differences in their diagnostic performance. A thorough appraisal of the study characteristics showed that most of the studies were potentially influenced by verification bias. In conclusion, dermoscopy improves the diagnostic accuracy for melanoma in comparison with inspection by the unaided eye, but only for experienced examiners.