الفهرس 
Acknowledgment
DermoscopyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 101 |  |  |
| | | from | 101 | | |
Abstract
Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal infection of the scalp, with a propensity for attacking hair shafts and follicles. Tinea capitis is contagious and should be recognized and treated early. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important to prevent transmission and complication as scarring and permanent hair loss.Trichoscopy (scalp and hair dermoscopy) should be regarded as a safe and rapid diagnostic tool which can be performed at the bedside and assists in clinical examination, management decision and follow up of TC especially in cases with atypical presentation. However, culture may take up to 6 weeks, postponing treatment in some cases.This study aimed to determine the dermoscopic patterns associated with tinea capitis and to assess the validity of dermoscopic criteria in the diagnosis of tinea capitis in comparison to mycological examination.This descriptive study included One hundred child patients clinically suspected to have tinea capitis from the attendants of Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Assuit University Hospital over a period of 18 months (from the beginning of December 2016 to the end of May 2018).All patients were subjected to clinical examination and then assessed by dermoscopy and mycological study with KOH examination and culture on Sabouraud’s agar media.The current study showed that the age of patients ranged from 2-13 years and there was male predominance (67%). Scaly ring worm was the predominant type of TC (81%) among studied patients.As regards dermoscopic findings, our study revealed that comma hairs, broken hairs, scales, corkscrew hairs and proximal sheath were the most frequently reported signs in TC representing 79%, 78%, 65%, 6o% and 47% respectively.As regards mycological examination, KOH examination was positive in 98/100 patients and culture was positive in 87/100 patients. Regarding culture results, 61 patients were infected by M. canis, while 26 patients were infected by T. violaceum and 13 patients were negative.Our study demonstrated the dermoscopic features associated with T. violaceum and M. canis. In patients with T. violaceum, we found that comma hairs and corkscrow hairs were the most prominent features, while in patients with M. canis broken hairs, comma hairs and scales were the most common features.In our study, certain dermoscopic criteria showed a statistical significance with positive culture results including: Comma hair, broken hair, corkscrew hair and zigzag hair.In the present study, in comparison between dermoscopy and other diagnostic procedures, dermoscory was positive in 96 patients, while direct KOH examination was positive in 98 patients and culture was positive in 87 patients.Our study demonstrated the validity of dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool of TC in comparison to the mycological examination. Dermoscopy showed a high sensitivity representing 97.7% and specificity of 15.4% in comparison to the culture, while in comparison to the direct KOH examination the dermoscopy showed a high sensitivity representing 96.9% and specificity of 50.0%.from the previous findings we concluded that:•The commonest dermoscopic findings in TC include comma hairs, broken hairs, scales, corkscrew hairs and proximal sheath.•The significant dermoscopic findings of TC in positive culture results include comma hairs, broken hairs, corkscrew hairs and zigzag hairs.•Dermoscopy improves our diagnostic accuracy of studied cases of TC as it shows a high sensitivity in comparison to the mycological examination.•However, the mycological examination is still an important diagnostic tool for TC, dermoscopy can be used parallel with clinical examination to confirm diagnosis and initiate treatment as it provides an early detection with high sensitivity for TC avoiding the time consuming procedures.