Rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma (RMH) is a rare, benign, congenital tumor of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue comprised of skeletal muscle and adipose and adnexal elements. Although the majority of cases are an incidental finding in otherwise healthy patients, some have been reported in association with other anomalies. We present a full-term boy evaluated on day 2 of life for two lesions located on the midline of the lower back and right buttock that each appeared clinically as an atrophic, pink plaque.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistopathologic examination is the gold standard for the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions, including melanoma, and guides management options and disease prognosis based on the depth of invasion. Although most melanomas can be readily distinguished from benign nevi, some pigmented lesions are more ambiguous and can be challenging to interpret as truly benign or truly malignant. Unfortunately, misclassification can render severe consequences for the patient, making it imperative to explore further analysis to determine the true nature of an ambiguous lesion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Drugs Dermatol
September 2012
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) results from autoantibodies to cell surface phospholipids or phospholipid-binding proteins resulting in clotting anomalies and can have devastating sequelae, including stroke, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and recurrent spontaneous abortions. However, cutaneous manifestations are the first sign of APS in up to 41% of patients. We present a case report of APS that developed several days after taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGeneralized pustular psoriasis of Zambusch is a unique and challenging skin condition to successfully manage. Patients often encounter potentially high recurrence rates of pustular eruptions despite multidrug treatment regimens with high morbidity as a consequence. We report a case of generalized pustular psoriasis of Zambusch in a patient whose disease initially flared following early treatment with the anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) inhibitor etanercept but was later successfully managed with cyclosporine and reintroduction of etanercept.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEccrine nevus is a rare benign solitary lesion with increased size and number of eccrine coils, ductal wall thickening, and luminal dilation, in the absence of collagen or fibroblast overgrowth. We present a 3-month-old male with a mid-line nuchal scalp lesion shaped like Mickey Mouse's head since birth that yielded a biopsy proven diagnosis of an eccrine nevus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 61-year-old-man presented with a sudden onset of multiple, hyperpigmented papules with a central punctum on the face, chest, upper back, and arms. Histopathologic examination showed infundibular cysts. These findings are consistent with a diagnosis of multiple eruptive milia, which is a rare disorder that is characterized by the sudden development of crops of milia over weeks to months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a case of non-scarring, generalized, cutaneous and mucosal subepidermal bullous dermatosis that is characterized histopathologically by a neutrophilic infiltrate and strong linear staining with both IgA and IgG along the basement-membrane zone. Autoantibodies to collagen VII of both the IgA and IgG4 subtypes were detected by indirect immunofluorescence test, which led led to a diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa aquisita (EBA). EBA is a subepidermal bullous disorder that is mediated by autoantibodies, which are directed against type VII collagen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 79-year-old woman presented with a four-year history of generalized, erythematous, indurated plaques on the malar areas, back, and extremities. The lesions had been recalcitrant in the past to topical glucocorticoid therapy. A skin biopsy specimen was diagnostic of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudoxanthoma elasticum is an incurable, autosomal-recessive, genetic disorder that is caused by mutations in the ABCC6 gene. It is characterized by progressive mineralization and fragmentation of the elastic fibers in the skin, retina, and blood vessels. The characteristic cutaneous features bring the patient to medical attention, but morbidity is related to the degree of extracutaneous involvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 35-year-old man with severe eczematous dermatitis and recurrent staphylococcal skin infections, some of which required hospitalization, is presented. Other medical concerns include recurrent oral staphylococcal infections, otitis media, ocular herpes simplex virus keratitis, asthma, steroid-induced gastritis, steroid-induced cataracts, recurrent upper respiratory infections, and acute pharyngitis. Past medical history includes retained dentition of six primary teeth, two episodes of childhood pneumonia that required hospitalization, and three wrist and ankle fractures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 78-year-old man presented with an eight-month history of folliculocentric, pink, hyperkeratotic papules and plaques with thick white scale that involved the entire body, with confluence on the buttocks and genitalia. A biopsy specimen demonstrated superficial and focal, mild perivascular and perifollicular, band-like lymphocytic infiltrate and eosinophils. There were lymphocytes extending to the dermo-epidermal junction with vacuolar changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 52-year-old woman presented with an occasionally pruritic, hyperpigmented and hypertrichotic, indurated plaque on the left upper arm that initially developed during childhood. Histopathologic examination showed changes that were consistent with a smooth-muscle hamartoma. Cutaneous smooth-muscle hamartomas are uncommon benign neoplasms.
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