Retrospective Value of Skin Biopsy in Histologically Confirmed Cases of the Perivascular Dermatitis Subgroup of the Inflammatory Dermatoses.

ABSTRACT

Skin biopsy is a commonly used and valuable tool in the diagnosis of diseases of the skin. The inflammatory dermatoses are a subgroup that presents diagnostic difficulties from both a clinical and a histopathological perspective. This study examines a particularly challenging subgroup of the inflammatory dermatoses, that is, perivascular dermatitis. The final conclusions of the histological report of 163 biopsies considered to fall into the perivascular dermatitis group were examined, and the value skin biopsy added in the final diagnosis of each case was evaluated. The 2 most valuable potential outcomes of the histopathological report consistent with clinical diagnosis with strong evidence of a specific diagnosis and new, unexpected, helpful, specific diagnosis, occurred in 40 reports (24.54%).