Drug Survival in Cyclosporine Treatment for Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis: Analysis of the Spanish Atopic Dermatitis Registry (BIOBADATOP). / Supervivencia de la ciclosporina en el tratamiento de la dermatitis atópica moderada-grave: Registro Español de Dermatitis Atópica (BIOBADATOP).

BACKGROUND: The past 5 years have seen a proliferation of new treatments for atopic dermatitis (AD). We analyzed recent drug survival data for cyclosporine in this setting. Because the Spanish National Healthcare system requires patients with AD to be treated with cyclosporine before they can be prescribed other systemic treatments, drug survival for cyclosporine may be shorter than in other diseases. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Multicenter, observational, prospective cohort study using data from the Spanish Atopic Dermatitis Registry (BIOBADATOP). Data from the Spanish Registry of Systemic Treatments in Psoriasis (BIOBADADERM) were used to create a comparison cohort. RESULTS: We analyzed data for 130 patients with AD treated with cyclosporine (median drug survival, 1 year). Median cyclosporine survival in the psoriasis comparison group (150 patients) was 0.37 years. Drug survival was significantly longer in AD than in psoriasis (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Drug survival of cyclosporine in the BIOBADATOP registry is similar to that described in other series of patients with AD and longer than that observed in the BIOBADADERM psoriasis registry.

Cell Blocks from Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspirates: Diagnostic Yield in a Series of 51 Dermatologic Lesions.

The generation of cell blocks (CB) obtained from ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies (USFNAB) is a well-established technique in breast and thyroid pathology, but is rarely used in dermatology. We reviewed CBs obtained from USFNAB of skin lesions, which were categorized as malignant skin tumors, benign skin tumors, inflammatory skin tumors or deposit skin diseases. The diagnostic yield of each category was compared to histopathology. The USFNAB of 51 skin lesions was processed into CBs. There was overall agreement between histopathology and CBs in 84.31% of cases. Diagnostic group concordance for benign, malignant as well as inflammatory and deposit skin lesions were 69.2%, 93.7% and 86.3% respectively. Cell block generation from USFNAB aspirates of skin lesions should be considered as part of the dermatologic diagnostic armamentarium. Further experience is needed to better understand for which types of dermatologic lesions it would be clearly indicated.

Cell Blocks from Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspirates: Diagnostic Yield in a Series of 51 Dermatologic Lesions. / [Artículo traducido] Bloques celulares obtenidos de la punción-aspiración con aguja fina ecoguiada: rendimiento diagnóstico en una serie de 51 lesiones dermatológicas.

The generation of cell blocks (CBs) obtained from ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies (USFNAB) is a well-established technique in breast and thyroid pathology, but is rarely used in dermatology. We reviewed CBs obtained from USFNAB of skin lesions, which were categorized as malignant skin tumors, benign skin tumors, inflammatory skin tumors or deposit skin diseases. The diagnostic yield of each category was compared to histopathology. The USFNAB of 51 skin lesions was processed into CBs. There was overall agreement between histopathology and CBs in 84.31% of cases. Diagnostic group concordance for benign, malignant as well as inflammatory and deposit skin lesions were 69.2%, 93.7% and 86.3% respectively. Cell block generation from USFNAB aspirates of skin lesions should be considered as part of the dermatologic diagnostic armamentarium. Further experience is needed to better understand for which types of dermatologic lesions it would be clearly indicated.

BIOBADATOP Spanish Atopic Dermatitis Registry: Description and Early Findings. / BIOBADATOP: Registro Español de Dermatitis Atópica. Descripción y primeros resultados.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, remarkable improvements in our understanding of atopic dermatitis (AD) have revolutionized treatment perspectives, but access to reliable data from clinical practice is essential. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The Spanish Atopic Dermatitis Registry, BIOBADATOP, is a prospective, multicenter database that collects information on patients of all ages with AD requiring systemic therapy with conventional or novel drugs. We analyzed the registry to describe patient characteristics, diagnoses, treatments, and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: We studied data entries for 258 patients who had received 347 systemic treatments for AD. Treatment was discontinued in 29.4% of cases, mostly due to a lack of effectiveness (in 10.7% of cases). A total of 132 AEs were described during follow-up. Eighty-six AEs (65%) were linked to a systemic treatment, most commonly dupilumab (39AEs) and cyclosporine (38AEs). The most common AEs were conjunctivitis (11patients), headache (6), hypertrichosis (5), and nausea (4). There was 1severe AE (acute mastoiditis) associated with cyclosporine. CONCLUSIONS: Initial findings on AEs from the Spanish BIOBADATOP registry are limited by short follow-up times precluding comparisons or calculation of crude and adjusted incidence rates. At the time of our analysis, no severe AEs had been reported for novel systemic therapies. BIOBADATOP will help answer questions on the effectiveness and safety of conventional and novel systemic therapies in AD.

Update on the Use of Ultrasound in Vascular Anomalies. / Actualización en ecografía de las anomalías vasculares.

Advances in our understanding of the biology and therapy of vascular anomalies have made this condition a common reason for consulting a dermatologist. In addition, multidisciplinary units have been created to manage patients with complex vascular anomalies. Although most vascular anomalies are diagnosed based on clinical findings, a thorough evaluation often requires additional imaging tests to determine the nature, extension, and prognosis of these lesions. Because it is fast and noninvasive, ultrasound is usually the first imaging test ordered. In the present review, we provide a state-of-the-art synthesis of key concepts in the ultrasound examination of vascular anomalies so that they are more accessible to clinicians and medical imaging specialists involved in the management of these lesions.

The usefulness of ultrasound imaging in digital and extradigital glomus tumors.

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the use of ultrasound imaging of the skin in the field of dermatology, as the technique reveals details of vessels and other structures that cannot be detected on physical examination. Extradigital glomus tumors are rarely seen in clinical practice and can pose a diagnostic challenge for dermatologists. We report on 4 patients with a clinical suspicion of extradigital glomus tumor and on 1 patient with a clinical suspicion of subungual glomus tumor. All 5 patients underwent ultrasound examination in B mode and color and pulsed-wave Doppler prior to surgical excision of the tumor and histologic examination, which confirmed the diagnosis in each case. Ultrasound imaging of the skin, combined with clinical findings, provided a simple, noninvasive way of making a prompt diagnosis and identifying the exact location of the lesion for surgical removal.

Sonographic findings in scabies.

Scabies is a cutaneous infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, a small mite that performs its whole life cycle within the epidermis. In this case report, we provide images of the sonographic signs of scabies. We found that the adult mite can be seen as a hyperechoic well-defined ovoid area within the epidermal layer at the end of the hypoechoic burrow, while the eggs correspond to tiny heteroechoic dots along the burrow. In conclusion, ultrasound may prove useful to differentiate between inhabited vs non-inhabited scabiotic burrows.

Sonography of monkeypox cutaneous lesions.

The present global outbreak of monkeypox has reached more than 79,000 cases by November 2022. While clinical features have been extensively studied, ultrasound findings in monkeypox skin lesions have not been described to date. In our work, we performed a complete sonographic study with Doppler and elastography of 3 patients with polymerase chain reaction-proven monkeypox. The most characteristic findings in skin lesions were hyperechoic epidermal thickening, dermo-hypodermal thickening with focal hypoechogenicity and increased intralesional vascularization. Regarding lymphadenopathies, we found vascularization of hilar distribution and an increased cortical stiffness and shoft hiliar area.

Clinical and Histologic Features of Multiple Primary Melanoma in a Series of 31 Patients. / Características clínicas e histológicas del melanoma primario múltiple en una serie de 31 pacientes.

BACKGROUND: We reviewed all cases of multiple primary melanoma diagnosed at our department over a 32-year period (1987-2019) to better characterize this subgroup of patients and develop a tailored protocol to offer them closer follow-up. METHODS: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study of patients diagnosed with multiple primary melanoma at a tertiary care hospital between January 1987 and March 2019. We collected clinical, epidemiologic, and histologic characteristics of primary and subsequent melanomas and performed a descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (15 men and 16 women) with a median age of 67years (range, 36-85years) were included. Second primary melanomas were diagnosed after a median of 2years (range, 0-4years). The median number of melanomas per patient was 2 (range, 2-6). Twenty-three of the 31 patients, 25 had 2 primary melanomas (80%), 4 had 3 melanomas (13%), and 2 patients each had 5 and 6 primary melanomas. Subsequent melanomas were less invasive than the initial primary melanomas. Median Breslow thickness was 1mm (range, 0.67-4mm) for the first primary melanoma and 0.5mm (range, 0.32-2.42mm) for subsequent melanomas. CONCLUSIONS: Subsequent melanomas are thinner than primary melanomas. We observed an increase in the number of cases of multiple primary melanoma diagnosed in the last 2years of our study. Our findings highlight the importance of close, long-term follow-up of patients.

Multiple epidermoid cysts in a renal transplant recipient taking cyclosporine A.

A forty-two-year-old male recipient of a cadaver renal transplant showed multiple nodulocystic lesions on his back and lateral aspects of his neck four months after beginning immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine A and prednisone. Results of histopathologic studies revealed that they were epidermoid infundibular cysts. We note the relationship between this clinical appearance and cyclosporine A, as well as this agent's cutaneous side effects.