How many megapixels does your videodermatoscope provide ?
Despite vast research in the field of biology and treatment, melanoma is increasing in frequency world-wide and this tumor remains practically incurable. In the past many video devices have been used. The video, as known, offers a very poor quality of image and for this reason many of the industries are moving toward digital firewire cameras. A video camera has many limitations respect to a digital device. When a dermatologist is involved in the digital analysis he should ask himself how many pixels does his instrument provide for the digital dermatoscopic imaging of moles. The DB-Mips System actually employs a digital "live" camera providing 1024x768 pixels for the dermatoscopic analysis and a 1600x1200 pixels still camera for the total-body imaging. The DDAX-3 System, which is the most referred instrument for the digital dermatoscopy in high impact scientific papers, represents the most complete solution for the early detection of melanoma.The DB-Mips , of course, it is directly digital and not video-composite based.

DB-Mips and the digital cameras. An innovative self-installing disk allows to use the DB-Mips features with the 3Gen Dermlite and Heine Delta20 adapters. The most innovative technology for the expert dermatologists.

Early diagnosis is of utmost importance to reduce the mortality rate. However, recognising melanomas is not always easy. Although there are high expectations for a technique known as dermoscopy or epiluminescence microscopy, the evaluation of pigmented skin lesions with this method is often extremely complex and subjective. In order to overcome the problem of qualitative interpretation, methods based on the mathematical analysis of pigmented skin lesions, such as digital dermoscopy analysis, have recently been developed. The DB-Mips System it is a complete integrate solution for the real-time digital imaging and total body mapping oriented to the pigmented skin lesions analysis. However, as well as many dermatologists already have digital high resolution devices called Heine Delta20 and 3Gen Dermlite then the DB-Mips engine it is actually offered also as a self installing CD-Rom for that devices. A new software named DDAX-3 (Burroni-Dell'Eva) allows the dermatologists to interface their 3gen Dermlite and Heine Delta20 dermatoscopic adapters with the DB-Mips measurements and database. The new DDAX3 software it is represented by a self installing CD-Rom.

In these pages, we present an overview of the scientific research performed by the digital dermoscopy analyzer DB-Mips System and related scientific works. It is predicted that biology will become completely quantitative in the next ten to 20 years. Dermatology is following the same route. All modern measurement devices, including ECGs, CAT scans and MRIs, provide quantitative results. Unless we envision a future role of the clinician as a calculating machine, computerized analysis of their results is the obvious consequence. Subjective algorithms will be replaced by computerized objective evaluations supervised by dermatologists.

Marco Burroni, a biomedical electronic engineer, has worked with image processing and pattern recognition in medicine since 1984. He is a professor at the University of Siena where he occupies the chair for Diagnostic Image Processing in Dermatology.

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