A clinico-epidemiological study of different dermoscopic patterns in hyperpigmented facial lesions in a tertiary care centre.

Introduction: Facial pigmentation is a common presentation of patients attending dermatology out patient department (OPD) and is of great concern to patients. Facial pigmentation may be multifactorial and is only rarely diagnosed accurately by a detailed history and clinical examination. Pigmentary disorders cause psychological distress and negatively impact the quality of life of an individual. Aims and Objectives: (1) To study different dermoscopic patterns in facial melanosis. (2) To estimate the frequency of different dermoscopic patterns. Materials and Methods: Patients with facial hyperpigmentation attending the dermatology OPD were recruited after taking their written consent. A detailed history was taken to collect demographic data. Clinical examination and dermoscopy were done in all patients. Biopsy was done as and when required. Descriptive statistics has been used to describe the quantitative data. Qualitative data were presented as frequency and percentage for clinical and dermoscopic patterns. Results: The study included 100 patients with 15 different facial melanoses. The most common age group affected was 21-40 years in 53 (53%) cases. The female-to-male ratio was 1.63:1. Melasma was reported as the most common cause of facial melanosis constituting 49 (49%) of the total cases. Out of the total melasma cases, epidermal melasma constituted 22 (45%) cases, dermal melasma constituted four (4%) cases and mixed melasma constituted 23 (47%) cases. Other cases included were lichen planus pigmentosus (14; 14%), facial acanthosis nigricans (14; 14%), periorbital hyperpigmentation (7; 7%), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (4; 4%), exogenous ochronosis (2; 2%), lentigines (2; 2%), frictional melanosis (2;2%), and one case each of Becker's nevus, nevus of Ota, olanzapine-induced hyperpigmentation, Riehl's melanosis, macular amyloidosis, and tanning. Conclusions: Melasma was reported as the most common cause of facial melanosis. The most common dermoscopic feature was accentuated pseudopigment network. The study is beneficial in understanding the different clinical and dermoscopic patterns of facial melanosis, thus helping the physician to effectively manage the conditions and reduce the need of biopsy. Limitations: (1) A small sample size. (2) Histopathological correlation was not done in all cases.

Vulvar Sarcomatoid Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Rare Entity.

Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid features is an extremely rare histological variant of squamous cell carcinoma with co-existence of both epithelial and mesenchymal features. A 70-year-old woman presented with genital lesions for 4 months with associated burning and pain. Examination revealed well-defined bilaterally symmetrical hyperpigmented plaques on labia majora, fleshy erythematous growth on labia minora. Biopsy from the fleshy mass was suggestive of sarcomatoid malignancy. However, immunohistochemistry was positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and negative for desmin and smooth muscle actin. Biopsy from hyperpigmented plaque was suggestive of Bowens disease. On the basis of histopathology and immunohistochemistry findings, diagnosis of vulvar sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma with Bowens disease was made and patient was started on external beam radiation therapy. Sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma of vulva is very rare cancer that has an aggressive and fatal course. Diagnosis has traditionally been difficult due to a large ratio of sarcomatous to squamous cell component. Due to its rarity, there are no distinct guidelines to direct therapy and care.

Vulvar vestibular papillomatosis: A diagnostic conundrum.

Vulvar vestibular papillomatosis (VP) is considered a normal anatomical variant of the vulva. We present a 19-year-old girl with a history of "small itchy growths" on the vulva for 2 months without any associated discharge. These lesions were causing significant anxiety to the patient. Cutaneous examination revealed multiple, uniformly arranged, skin-colored, monomorphic micropapillae on the inner aspect of the labia minora. Biopsy showed mucosal hyperplasia with papillomatosis and loosely arranged subdermal tissue, no koilocytes were spotted. The diagnosis of vulvar VP was made. We want to highlight this clinical entity as most dermatologists are not familiar with this benign condition and easily confuse it with genital warts. This inexperience may result in unnecessary investigations causing psychological discomfort to the patient. We herein present such a case which brings out the diagnostic dilemma.

Clinicopathological and Dermoscopic Features in a Case of Linear and Unilateral Basaloid Follicular Hamartoma.

Linear and unilateral basaloid follicular hamartoma (BFH) is a rare disease that manifests with papules and plaques with distribution along lines of Blaschko. It runs a benign course but with the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in long term course. BCC can be differentiated from BFH with histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Dermoscopic features of BCC are well studied. Dermoscopic features of BFH are not yet described in literature in detail probably due to rarity of the disease. Here, we present a case of extensive linear and unilateral BFH with its clinicohistopathological and dermoscopic features. The lesions were extensive to involve scalp, face, neck, upper, and lower trunk. Dermoscopy revealed features similar to that of BCC including brown-grey globules and dots, in focus dots, brown linear and arciform structures, crown vessels, short fine telangiectasias, spoke wheel like structures without central dark point, white structureless areas with telangiectasias and keratotic plug. Other dermoscopic features of BCC like arborizing vessels, blue-grey ovoid nests, maple leaf-like areas, concentric structures, ulcerations, erosions and white streaks were absent in this case.

Granulomatous Variant of Giant Centrifugal Miliaria Profunda in a Hypothyroid Infant: A Case Report.

The miliarias are a clinically heterogeneous group of diseases which occur when the free flow of eccrine sweat to the skin surface is impeded. Miliaria profunda is a variant with obstruction of the duct at or below the level of dermoepidermal junction. The giant centrifugal variant of miliaria profunda has been described in the past at the sites of occlusive tapes and in febrile patients. Thyroid hormone has a regulatory effect on the skin and its appendages and an association of hypothyroidism with this variant of miliaria profunda has not been described in the past. We report a case of giant centrifugal miliaria profunda in an infant with congenital hypothyroidism.

Multiple acquired smooth muscle hamartomas with thick-walled blood vessels on scalp.

Smooth muscle hamartoma (SMH) is a benign hamartomatous condition that consists of a dermal proliferation of smooth muscle cells. We hereby report a case of multiple, acquired SMHs on scalp. A 25-year-old male had a 6-year history of multiple, asymptomatic, hyperpigmented plaques on the scalp which were progressively increasing in number and size. Histopathological examination revealed large thick-walled blood vessels, in addition to the haphazardly arranged discrete smooth muscle bundles in the reticular dermis. This case of SMH is unusual in being acquired, having multiple lesions, involving scalp, and having thick-walled blood vessels apart from arrector pili muscle bundles. It emphasizes the wide spectrum of clinical and histopathological variations that may be associated with acquired SMH.

Perianal Eccrine Syringofibroadenoma.

Eccrine syringofibroadenoma (ESFA) is a rare eccrine ductal adnexal tumor. It shows variable presentations as solitary or multiple nodular lesions arranged in different patterns. It is most commonly seen in middle-aged to elderly patients, and most common sites include the extremities. Classic histopathological findings show anastomosing cords and strands of uniform cuboidal cells surrounded by fibrovascular stroma. Herein, we report a case of reactive ESFA which developed on the perianal region of a 31-year-old man.

Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus in continuity with nodular basal cell carcinoma: A rare presentation.

Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus and nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are different morphological variants of BCC. It is very rare to see both the variants together in a single lesion. Here we report a case of a 56-year-old female who presented with a nodule on the trunk, which on biopsy showed features of both nodular BCC and fibroepithelioma of Pinkus.

Zosteriform spiradenoma with spiradenocarcinoma: A rare entity.

Eccrine spiradenoma (ES) is an uncommon well-differentiated benign tumor originating from the sweat glands. It usually occurs as a single lesion in adults. Multiple ES in a linear or zosteriform distribution are rare. Spiradenomacarcinoma is an extremely rare tumor, which develops in an existing benign spiradenoma of several years of duration. We report a case of a 23-year-old- female patient with multiple spiradenomas arranged in zosteriform pattern and malignant transformation occurred in one of the lesions over a period of 10 years.

Appearances in dermatopathology: the diagnostic and the deceptive.

Dermatopathology involves study of the microscopic morphology of skin sections. It mirrors pathophysiologic changes occurring at the microscopic level in the skin and its appendages. Sometimes, we come across certain morphologic features that bear a close resemblance to our physical world. These close resemblances are referred to as "appearances" in parlance to dermatopathology. Sometimes, these "appearances" are unique to a certain skin disorder and thus help us to clinch to a definitive diagnosis (e.g., "tadpole" appearance in syringoma). However, frequently, these appearances are encountered in many other skin conditions and can be therefore be misleading. In this paper, we attempt to enlist such "appearances" commonly found in the dermatopathologic literature and also enumerate their differential diagnoses.

A retrospective analysis of histopathology of 64 cases of lepra reactions.

BACKGROUND: Lepra reactions are not always diagnosable under the microscope. We analyzed skin histopathology in 64 cases of lepra reaction. AIM: To make detailed observations on histopathologic features of type 1 and type 2 lepra reaction (erythema nodosum leprosum, ENL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 64 patients diagnosed during a 3-year period as lepra reaction based on clinico-pathological co-relation. RESULTS: Out of the 64 patients, 22 were of type 1 reaction and 42 of ENL. The most consistent finding in type 1 reaction was papillary dermal edema (86%) followed by pyknosis of lymphocytes (77%) and intercellular edema within granuloma (73%). Surprisingly, folliculotropism of lymphocytes was seen in 55% and subcutaneous infiltration in 36%. In ENL, the most common finding was presence of neutrophils within the granuloma (100%), followed by leukocytoclasia (81%), papillary dermal edema (81%), and neutrophilic panniculitis (69%). Fibrin in the vessel wall or/and granulomas was noted in only 38% while fibrin thrombi in the vessel walls were seen in only 12% of cases. CONCLUSION: Infiltration of macrophage granulomas by neutrophils is a reliable sign of ENL. Classical signs of vasculitis are not always present in ENL. Folliculotropism and lymphocytic panniculitis were frequent in type 1 reactions while neutrophilic panniculitis was common with ENL.

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy: a report of two cases.

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy is one of the clinical forms of leukocytoclastic vasculitis seen in children. The condition runs a benign course. We report two male children who presented with upper respiratory tract infection followed by limb swelling and purpuric and ecchymotic lesions on the skin. Skin biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis in both patients. In both cases, the lesions resolved completely without any sequelae.

Ectodermal dysplasia-skin fragility syndrome.

Ectodermal dysplasia-skin fragility (EDSF) syndrome is a rare and first described inherited disorder of desmosomes. It occurs due to loss-of-function mutations in PKP1 gene resulting in poorly formed desmosomes and loss of desmosomal and epidermal integrity. We report a case of a 2-year-old Indian male child who presented with palmoplantar hyperkeratosis with fissuring, short, sparse, and easily pluckable scalp hair, nail dystrophy, and multiple erosions over the skin. Skin biopsy showed epidermal hyperplasia with widening of intercellular spaces. His developmental milestones were delayed but intelligence was normal. Echocardiography, X-ray chest, and electrocardiogram were normal. Very few cases of this syndrome have been reported in the literature. We consider this as the first case report from India.