CASE REPORTS   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2009 June;144(3):313-5

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Scabies: should we always perform dermatoscopy?

Betti S., Bassi A., Prignano F., Lotti T.

Department of Dermatology, University of Florence Florence, Italy

The authors describe a case of scabies in a 80 year-old woman with a history of intense itching. Lesions were not present in the body parts where they usually occur, but few erythematous and papular lesions were visible on the rear trunk. Diagnosis was not based on the usual clinical features or on the traditional method of microscopic examination but a high magnification videodermatoscopy was performed and, on a burrow-like scabby lesions at the rear trunk, a mite was found. This paper focuses on the importance of the videodermatoscopy, a simple, quick, non-expensive and non-invasive technique, that enhances the diagnostic capability in a case of scabies, which is not localized in the characteristic zones.