Use of Otoscope as a Non-Invasive Tool for Diagnosis of Pilomatricoma

Stanford University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Pilomatrixoma

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00715819

SU-07092008-1245

eProtocol #:13219

Details and patient eligibility

About

Stanford University Dermatology Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital are evaluating the use of the otoscope for the diagnosis of skin lesions. We are particularly looking for children and/or adults with nodules, cysts, tumors, or pilomatricomas. The study will take 15-30 minutes and we will use light to examine and take a picture of your skin lesion. There is no monetary compensation for participating in the study.

Full description

Pilomatricoma is a benign tumor that presents as a 3-30mm firm, solitary, deep dermal or subcutaneous tumor on the head, neck, or upper extremities. The clinical diagnosis is often made by the firm, sometimes rock hard texture of the skin. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a skin biopsy and/or excision of the lesion. We have recently noted that pilomatricomas appear as a black mass in the skin when the lesion is transilluminated by placing the light of a fiberoptic otoscope adjacent to the skin lesion. We would like to confirm our impression by a prospective study using transillumination to examine subcutaneous tumors in the skin. Pilomatricoma is also known as a benign calcifying or calcified epithelioma, pilomatrixoma, or a calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:- Potential participants will be any patient that is seen at Stanford Dermatology or LPCH that has a cyst, nodule, vesicle, tumor, or possible pilomatricoma Exclusion Criteria:- Inability of subject or subject's guardian to understand informed consent form.