Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) together with dermoscopy enables improved differentiation of melanomas from most nevi. The resulting high sensitivity for detecting melanoma with RCM is complemented by a concomitant increased specificity, which results in the reduction of unnecessary biopsies of nevi. Although RCM can achieve high diagnostic accuracy for early melanoma detection, false-negative and false-positive cases of melanoma are occasionally encountered. This article reviews the essential clues and pitfalls for the diagnosis of melanoma via RCM and highlights the importance of evaluating RCM findings in light of the clinical scenario and dermoscopic features.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS: Atypical nevi; Confocal; Diagnostic accuracy; Differential diagnosis; Early detection; Melanoma; Nevus

PMID:27692446 DOI:10.1016/j.det.2016.05.003