- There are gadgets that are already out in the market are helping us record images taken by the patients and family physicians. This helps in documenting, and is also of use in order to have a second opinion from other colleagues.
- Many companies are coming out with gadgets that are meant to be used by consumers directly:
- Metaoptima is one of those companies that has its own system that is adaptable to mobiles, and then you can download these images, get into their own software where you locate the image and get it analyzed. They have come out with a dermoscope for patients that are high risk patients.
- Canfield, has a system that again is a dermoscope that can be adapted to both tablets or mobiles, and they have their own application so that you can not only capture the image, but manage it, communicate, save it and compare, and you can also download and integrate this to your office system.
- Dermosight has a unit from which they have a huge experience in pharmacy teledermatology. And what they capture three images:
- One without the nose, they take the clinical image.
- One with the nose, a dermoscopic image.
- And a third image that is processed so that you can have a processed dermoscopic image as well as an artificial intelligence guide, to get information to make a more accurate diagnosis.
- 3 Gen Dermlite has come out with this a tiny accessory for mobile phones.
- It’s pretence is to be used directly by consumers, high risk patients for melanoma.
- Of course they have adjusted prices so that these are not…full fledged Dermoscopes as expensive as the ones that are used by professionals.
- Photofinder has come out also with a system that is adaptable to a mobile; the handyscope is a joint venture between Dermlite and Photofinder. Like Canfield, they also have their app. An app that, of course, also works with artificial intelligence guiding management of the lesion and locating the lesion on the body.
- Barco Demetra finally has a unit that has two integrated cameras:
- One is for clinical photographs.
- One is for dermoscopic photographs.
- Differently to the other ones is that you don’t buy this unit, but you rent it. Basically you get it once you rent one of the systems.
- It’s a license where you can save up to, with the essential one, up to 2000 dermoscopic images and you can have image location, diagnosis, management strategy, etc…
- With different types of licenses, you get more licenses to use if you have a clinic where you have other physicians.
Paola Pasquali, MD. Digital Photography for Teledermatology Systems and Devices. 8th World Congress of Teledermatology, Skin Imaging and AI in Skin diseases – November 2020
