Key Points
Question Does a lower-cost, ambient-light, nonpolarized dermatoscope provide similar clinical utility as a higher-cost, illuminated, polarized dermatoscope for patient-performed teledermoscopy?
Findings In this randomized study within a trial including 251 adults treated for early-stage melanoma, 92 (71.9%) who used the polarized device and 83 (67.5%) who used the ambient-light device received a teledermatologist management recommendation for baseline images (the difference was not significant). The polarized device resulted in more images that were reportable (95.0% vs 91.1%; difference: 3.9%; 95% CI, 1.5%-6.3%) and fewer image quality issues.
Meaning The study results suggest that both dermatoscopes supported patient-performed teledermoscopy; the modest image quality advantages of the polarized device must be weighed against its substantially higher cost.
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