Dermatology resources on the internet.

Both patients and medical professionals are increasingly accessing the Internet for health information. Today's Web enables features that facilitate information sharing in a social and collaborative manner, thus transforming the way we access data and communicate with our patients and colleagues. The visual nature of the field of dermatology lends itself to the use of the Internet for reference and educational purposes. To generate a list of Web sites commonly used by academic dermatologists, the authors polled the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Dermatology Program Directors for their top 3 Web resources. The purpose of this article is to identify resources used by dermatologists as well as patients and examine factors that can influence Internet search results. Concerns regarding professionalism in the era of social media are also explored. As the volume of health information on the Internet continues to increase, it is essential for physicians to be aware of what is available in cyberspace. Reference and learning tools for the physician, learning and support tools for the patient, and physician Internet presence are key aspects of modern dermatology practice.

Lymphedema praecox.

A 57-year-old man presented with the post-pubertal onset of asymptomatic swelling of the left arm and legs that had been complicated by recurrent bouts of cellulitis. The presentation and disease course are consistent with lymphedema praecox, which is a subtype of primary lymphedema with onset at puberty and a slowly progressive course. The subtypes of lymphedema, pathogenesis, and treatment are reviewed.

Improved identification of potentially dangerous pigmented skin lesions by computerized image analysis.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is completely curable if resected early. Unfortunately, early melanoma can be difficult to differentiate from other pigmented lesions. Computerized image analysis instruments have now been developed to assist in determining whether a pigmented lesion is potentially dangerous and requires biopsy. To evaluate whether one such instrument can improve the management of pigmented lesions, we obtained biopsy specimens from 52 pigmented lesions that appeared clinically benign to an experienced dermatologist but were suspicious by image analysis. OBSERVATION: Histologically, 9 (17%) of the lesions that were removed based solely on computer recommendation were potentially dangerous and should have been removed. These included 1 malignant melanoma in situ and 8 dysplastic nevi with moderate to severe cytologic atypia. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that computerized image analysis can improve the evaluation of pigmented skin lesions by identifying clinically unsuspicious, but potentially dangerous, lesions that might have otherwise have been neglected.