Abstract
Digital photography is available for use in telemedicine using commercially available compact digital cameras. The goal of this study was to compare and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of dermatological diagnoses based on photos obtained with a digital camera versus in-person diagnoses. 308 subjects were recruited from a university dermatology clinic. Patients were examined in-person by one of three dermatologists who provided the clinical diagnosis. Digital photos were then obtained on all patients. The three dermatologists reviewed the images on a computer monitor and provided a diagnosis and confidence rating. There was 80% agreement between in-person versus digital photo diagnoses. Intra-dermatologist agreement averaged 84%. Decision confidence was rated as very definite to definite 70% of the time using the photo images. Monitor reading agreement with biopsy results averaged about 75%. Image resolution and color were rated as good to excellent 83% and 93% of the time respectively. The use of digital photography for store and forward teledermatology yields high quality images and diagnostic accuracy rates which correlate well with in-person clinical diagnoses and biopsy results.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 199-206 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 3663 |
| State | Published - 1999 |
| Event | Proceedings of the 1999 Medical Imaging - Image Perception and Performance - San Diego, CA, USA Duration: Feb 24 1999 → Feb 25 1999 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering