Thanks to the generosity of Eng. Gabriele Montecchi of Veronaand in memory of his aunt Adriana, the Operational Unit of Dermatology of the Hospital – University of Ferrara – directed by Prof. Monica Corazza – can count on a new Video dermatoscope for the diagnosis of melanoma. The delivery was made yesterday morning in the presence of the donor, the general manager of the Ferrara Health Authorities, Dr. Monica Calamai, by Prof. Corazza and of Eng. Giampiero Pirini, Director of Clinical Engineering at S. Anna.
Thanks to the new device it is possible significantly increase the diagnostic accuracy in the evaluation of pigmented skin neoformations by providing a valid non-invasive instrumental support for the early diagnosis of melanoma. Thanks to this equipment it will therefore be possible to do diagnosis of increasingly low-stage melanomas and, therefore, a improve the prognosis, increasing the life expectancy of patients.
“The motivation that prompted me to donate this equipment – spiega l’ing. Montevecchi – it can be summarized in these terms: starting from the memory of my aunt Adriana, who was lovingly treated unfortunately in vain in July/August 2021, it was my desire to contribute to the purchase of a diagnostic tool useful for the community. My choice was suggested in agreement with the clinical engineering of S. Anna”.
“We are very grateful to the engineer Montecchi and his family – declares Director Calamai – for this important gesture of generosity in memory of your partner. Thanks to this video dermatoscope we will further qualify the diagnostic and healthcare offer of the Cona Hospital Dermatology Service and the corporate diagnostic path of melanoma. We are also pleased that the donation is motivated by appreciation for the care given to a patient: treating and assisting patients in the best possible way is our mission, doing it “lovingly”, as engineer Montecchi says, is a reason for further satisfaction”.
The activity of the Dermatology of S. Anna is an integral part of Multidisciplinary diagnostic-therapeutic-assistance process for the management of patients with melanoma. At this Service, they are diagnosed on average over 50 melanomas a year, which represent over 60% of new diagnoses of melanoma in our province. In the clinics dedicated to skin oncology and video dermatoscopy, they are performed on average 750 visits a year of patients in staging and clinical-instrumental follow-up for melanoma.
“Considering the stage at the time of diagnosis of melanomas encountered over time – highlights Prof. Corazza – one can clearly see the gradual relative growth of thin melanomas (which include forms in situ and under a millimeter thick), with a decidedly more favorable prognosis, to the detriment of thick melanomas. In this case, in the period from 1997 to 1999, 51% of melanomas diagnosed in Ferrara were more than 1 mm thick, while in the two-year period 2021-2022 melanomas more than 1 mm thick amounted to 25%. This result is largely attributable to the availability of manual dermatoscopy and video dermatoscopy”.
Currently at the video dermatoscopy clinic are provided over 500 performances per yearaimed at guaranteeing up-to-date assistance for patients with melanocytic neoformations, such as nevi and melanoma, or melanic, but also with skin or adnexal problems of another nature, which can be evaluated and monitored with the help of this irreplaceable tool.
Dermatoscopy and its digital variant, i.e. video dermatoscopy, have in fact radically changed the dermatological approach to skin pathologyespecially ai skin tumours. Video dermatoscopy, by acquiring dermoscopic images and storing them, allows for comparison and follow up of doubtful or critical melanocytic neoformations, allowing the timely confirmation of any evolution of the same. Over time, dermoscopy has proven its usefulness in non-invasive diagnostics of an increasingly wide range of dermatological pathologies, including inflammatory, allergic, infectious forms and non-melanoma tumours, as well as in the examination of pathologies of the skin adnexa (trichoscopy and onycoscopy), becoming an essential aid for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of the patient dermatological.