Vulvar melanocytic nevi: a dermoscopic investigation

Abstract

Background: Very few dermoscopic investigations into pigmented genital lesions have been performed to date. To the best of our knowledge, no dermoscopical description of vulvar melanocytic nevi (MN) has yet been proposed.

Objective: Our aims were to analyze the dermoscopic features of vulvar MN and to review the literature of dermoscopy of the vulvar area.

Methods: Among 74 women presenting 84 vulvar pigmented lesions, 10 who received a visual diagnosis of MN were submitted to dermoscopic and histopathological analysis.

Results: Histology confirmed the clinical diagnosis of MN in 8 out of 10 cases, while the remaining 2 pigmented lesions were diagnosed as seborrheic keratosis. Vulvar MN were generally found to share similar dermoscopic patterns with their cutaneous equivalent.

Conclusions: Although further observation will be necessary to provide additional data and establish key morphological criteria and/or algorithms useful for differentiating between melanocytic and nonmelanocytic vulvar lesions, dermoscopy should be considered an investigative tool, as clinical observation alone may not be sufficient for accurate diagnosis.