Videodermoscopy and curettage: The value of simple procedures during Mohs surgery

BACKGROUND Mohs surgery (MS) is regarded as one of the most efficient surgical procedures for the treatment of skin tumors. OBJECTIVES Delineating tumor margins accurately is important in limiting broad excisions during conventional surgery and in reducing the number of stages during Mohs procedure. METHODS This study aimed to evaluate the role of 2 simple procedures, curettage and videodermoscopy (VDS), in determining margins during MS for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head and neck. RESULTS The use of both procedures offered a good intraoperative margin definition and consequently small surgical defects in 197 patients affected by BCC. Recurrences in basal cell cancers, which included both primary and recurrent lesions, occurred less frequently than in the institution's previous experience, appearing in only 8 of 197 cases (approx. 4%). CONCLUSION In the authors' experience, both VDS and curettage were found advantageous in delineating tumor margins while treating BCC with MS.