ABSTRACT
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive imaging technique that represents a development area in the imaging diagnosis field. To date, it has been employed extensively in dermatology but is also used in other various medical specialities (i.e., gynecology, gastroenterology). The largest fields of clinical application of RCM in dermatology are melanocytic lesions and nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs). Other fields of confocal in-development research include inflammatory skin diseases (i.e., contact dermatitis, plaque psoriasis, vitiligo, lichen planus) and aesthetic medicine. From research to clinical use, RCM has different indications that have evolved during the last years. In a real clinical setting, evidence for diagnosis of skin tumors has been produced in different clinical studies of concordance and accuracy.
