Inserting ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscopy perioperatively in mohs micrographic surgery expedites bedside assessment of excision margins in recurrent basal cell carcinoma

Mohs micrographic surgery can be employed in recurrent basal cell carcinoma, although it is a time-consuming technique. Recently, ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) has been employed to obtain a fast assessment of tumor margins at the bedside. In our case we successfully employed ex vivo FCM to assess the tumor margins and we treated the persistent tumor with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Our case demonstrates that a multidisciplinary approach is very efficient in managing complex and recurrent tumors and highlights the benefits of FCM as a new technique that can be used in the surgical theater to speed up the entire procedure. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel