Digital optical visualization, enhancement, quantification, and classification of surface and subsurface features of body surfaces

摘要

A method for monitoring a region of a body surface includes recording at a first time a first multispectral digital image of the surface including the region, recording at a subsequent time a subsequent multispectral digital image of the surface including the region, and comparing the first and the subsequent images. Also, such a method in which the first and subsequent images are high magnification images, and further including recording low magnification images that include the high magnification images. Also, a method for forming a diagnostically useful classification of pigmented skin lesions includes using such a method to construct a database containing quantitatively extracted selected features from images recorded from a plurality of skin lesions, and correlating the features from each such lesion in the database with the medical history of the skin lesion from which the image was recorded. Also, a method for diagnosis of a premelanomatous or early melanomatous condition includes using the method for characterizing a surface region including the lesion and comparing the features of the lesion so obtained with the features in a database obtained from a number of skin lesions including lesions known to be premelanomatous or early melanomatous, or classifying the features of the lesion according to the diagnostically useful classification of pigmented skin lesions.