Fotofinder

FotoFinder is a worldwide brand for medical imaging systems. The German company FotoFinder Systems GmbH was founded in 1991 and has developed imaging solutions for the early detection of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer as well as hair disorders diagnostics and psoriasis assessment.

FotoFinder methods for early skin cancer diagnosis:

1. Digital dermoscopy (also called digital epiluminescence microscopy) for monitoring suspicious nevi over time. Through Mole Mapping, melanoma can be detected and removed at a stage where the chances of healing are high .
2. Mole analysis according to pattern recognition algorithms. Therefore the “Moleanalyzer” expert system has been developed in cooperation with the Dermatology Department of the University Hospital of Tuebingen in Germany . It gives doctors a second opinion about suspicious moles.
3. Total Body Mapping for monitoring the entire skin of patients with dysplastic nevus syndrome. All parts of the body are photographed from head to toe for a complete, systematic and standardized documentation.
4. Analysis of the entire skin to detect new and changed moles. Therefore the “Bodyscan pro” expert system compares two total body photos with the help of complex algorithms. The first program version was the result of cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering .
5. With the help of fluorescence diagnostics, non-melanoma skin cancer and precancerous stages such as actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma can be delineated from healthy skin. Therefore a photosensitizer is applied which selectively concentrates in the tumor cells. Illuminated with ultraviolet light, the tumor is entirely visualized.

Each of the presented methods is a pillar in the early detection of skin cancer. In an overall view, the diagnostic accuracy will be improved with the use of special cameras, expert software and scientific-based analysis systems.

External links

• Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering
• FotoFinder Systems