Dermoscopy as a supportive diagnostic tool in human monkeypox

Distinguishing monkeypox from its mimickers

“…9,10 Diffuse white structureless areas in the vesicular/pustular stage and bright white halos in umbilicated pustules and crusted lesions are dermoscopic features of monkeypox that are usually not seen in its main mimickers. 9 These tools help reduce the need for invasive diagnostic tests, such as skin biopsy, in diagnosing monkeypox.…”

Enhancing diagnostic accuracy in common human poxvirus infections during mpox outbreak: A dermoscopy review

“…In the current global pandemic of mpox, it is important to correctly identify the cutaneous lesions of mpox, especially in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous lesions of other genera of poxviridae infection such as genus parapoxvirus and genus molluscipoxvirus, and dermoscopy as a non‐invasive diagnostic tool may provide some diagnostic clues or ideas in such patients 18 . The representative cutaneous lesions of human poxviridae infection including orf, milker's nodule, and molluscum contagiosum should be considered the potential differential diagnosis with mpox 25 .…”

“…It shows good practicability and superiority in assisting and supporting the non‐invasive diagnosis of infectious cutaneous diseases including bacteria, viral, fungal, and other skin infections also increased confidence and enriched the visual evidence in diagnosing such diseases 15–17 . Similarly, it is interesting that dermoscopy can also be used as a supportive non‐invasive diagnostic tool for identifying cutaneous lesions of human poxvirus infection 18 . Here, we summarized the clinical, dermoscopic features of representative cutaneous lesions of human poxviridae infection to provide more positive and useful information for dermatologists.…”

“…Central crusts or ulceration indicate epidermal necrosis, while the white peripheral halo corresponds to epidermal hyperplasia, mixed inflammatory infiltrate, and dermal edema. Perilesional erythema or pink round structures represent ballooning degeneration of keratinocytes and non‐viable keratinocytes 18,25–28 . The clinical, dermoscopic features and the clinical and histological correlation of representative cutaneous lesions of human poxviridae infection were summarized in Table 1.…”

Mpox lesions in two patients with multiple comorbidities

“…1 The dermoscopy features of mpox skin lesions which have been described in the medical literature consist of whitish structureless areas in vesicular and pustular lesions and yellowish umbilications and crusts surrounded by white areas in umbilicated and crusted lesions. 2,3 The investigation of reactive lymphadenopathies and skin lesions brought on by mpox infection may benefit from using cutaneous ultrasonography: differentiating mpox lesions from those caused by other infectious diseases may be made possible by the identification of focal hypoechogenicity, marked vascularization, and thickening of the dermal and epidermal skin layers on ultrasonography. Painful proctitis, a relatively common sign of mpox infection (incidence between 22 and 37%), presents with distinctive CT features: extensive circumferential thickening of the rectal and anal wall associated with ulcer-related non-enhancing areas of hypoattenuation.…”