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In a recent survey, wrong-site surgery was responsible for 14% of professional liability cases against Mohs surgeons. Would photography at the time of biopsy and consultation reduce the risk for wrong-site skin cancer surgery? Two groups of investigators looked at this issue.
McGinness and Goldstein evaluated 270 Mohs surgeries in which a preoperative photograph had been obtained at the time of biopsy or consultation, the patient was not demented, and the site was visible without the aid of a mirror. The patient was asked to identify the surgery site at the time of surgery, and the dermatologist was asked to identify the site using the patient's medical chart but without help from the patient or the photograph. A smaller, 34-patient pilot st…