Evaluation of different image acquisition techniques for a computer vision system in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

Background: Digital image analysis was found to be a useful technique for improved accuracy of preoperative diagnosis of melanocytic lesions. In previous studies digitized color slides were used as input for digital image analysis. New technologies and smaller video cameras made it possible to develop a camera system that allows the digitization of skin lesions directly from the patient.

Objective: We investigated whether conventional color slides or directly digitized images should be used for a reliable recognition of malignant melanoma.

Methods: Computer features describing characteristics of the lesions were computed for 404 digitized color slides and for 309 directly acquired lesions. Statistical analysis and classifier construction was performed by the commercial statistical classification program CART.

Results: With the data set derived either from the color slides or from the directly digitized lesions a sensitivity of about 90% for the recognition of malignant melanoma could be obtained.

Conclusion: Both image acquisition techniques allow a reliable detection of malignant melanoma and both are appropriate as input for an image analysis system regarding its efficiency as a diagnostic tool. However, none of the classifiers can be applied with reasonable significance to both techniques.