BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy has been proved to increase the diagnostic accuracy of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). OBJECTIVE: To characterize the type and frequency of vascular patterns in superficial and nodular BCCs. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the dermoscopic images of 504 histopathologically proven BCCs. RESULTS: The most common vascular pattern was represented by arborizing vessels (306/504; 60.7%), which were significantly more frequent in nodular BCCs (nBCCs) compared with superficial BCCs (sBCCs), and in pigmented sBCCs vs. non-pigmented sBCCs (P<0.0001). Short fine telangectasias (SFTs) were found in 33.1% (167/504) of cases and were significantly more frequent in sBCCs compared with nBCCs (P<0.0001). Hairpin vessels were detected in 52/504 (10.3%) BCCs. Minor vascular patterns included glomerular vessels (41/504; 8.1%), dotted (21/504; 4.2%), comma vessels (5/504; 1.0%) and polymorphous pattern (9/504; 1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Arborizing vessels are prototypic of nBCCs, whereas SFTs are characteristics of sBCCs. Differential diagnosis with squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma is mandatory when a polymorphous pattern is detected.
BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy has been proved to increase the diagnostic accuracy of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). OBJECTIVE: To characterize the type and frequency of vascular patterns in superficial and nodular BCCs. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the dermoscopic images of 504 histopathologically proven BCCs. RESULTS: The most common vascular pattern was represented by arborizing vessels (306/504; 60.7%), which were significantly more frequent in nodular BCCs (nBCCs) compared with superficial BCCs (sBCCs), and in pigmented sBCCs vs. non-pigmented sBCCs (P<0.0001). Short fine telangectasias (SFTs) were found in 33.1% (167/504) of cases and were significantly more frequent in sBCCs compared with nBCCs (P<0.0001). Hairpin vessels were detected in 52/504 (10.3%) BCCs. Minor vascular patterns included glomerular vessels (41/504; 8.1%), dotted (21/504; 4.2%), comma vessels (5/504; 1.0%) and polymorphous pattern (9/504; 1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Arborizing vessels are prototypic of nBCCs, whereas SFTs are characteristics of sBCCs. Differential diagnosis with squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma is mandatory when a polymorphous pattern is detected.
Authors: A Trigoni; E Lazaridou; Z Apalla; E Vakirlis; F Chrysomallis; D Varytimiadis; D Ioannides Journal: Hippokratia Date: 2012-01 Impact factor: 0.471
Authors: Ofer Reiter; Ilit Mimouni; Stephen Dusza; Allan C Halpern; Yael Anne Leshem; Ashfaq A Marghoob Journal: J Am Acad Dermatol Date: 2019-11-07 Impact factor: 15.487