Background: Little data exist about the efficacy of phototherapy in childhood dermatoses. Objective: To report our experience with pediatric patients treated with phototherapy. Methods: The study included children £17 years of age, who were treated in our phototherapy unit between 1985 and 2005. Data were retrospectively collected. Results: The study included 113 patients (50 boys, 63 girls) with a median of age of 13 years (range: 3-17 yrs). Narrow-band ultraviolet-B (34.6%), and ultraviolet-B (33.1%) were the most common treatments administered to the patients. Indications for phototherapy were psoriasis in 53.5%, vitiligo in 20.5%, pityriasis lichenoides in 14.2%, alopecia areata in 7.9%. Response was achieved in 92.9% of the psoriasis patients treated with narrow-band ultraviolet-B, in 83.3% treated with psoralen plus ultraviolet-A, and in 93.3% with ultraviolet-B. All the pityriasis lichenoides chronica patients who received narrow-band ultraviolet-B responded to the treatment and seven of nine treated with ultraviolet-B had a response. Response was achieved in 57% of the vitiligo patients treated with psoralen plus ultraviolet-A and in 50% of vitiligo patients treated with narrow-band ultraviolet-B. Of the 10 alopecia areata patients, two responded to psoralen plus ultraviolet-A. Among all the patients, erythema was the most common adverse effect. Conclusion: Phototherapy is a welltolerated treatment for childhood dermatoses, and is especially efficacious in psoriasis and pityriasis lichenoides chronica patients.

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Nevus sebaceous usually occurs as a solitary lesion located mostly on the scalp and the face. The potential for nevus sebaceous to develop malignancy is well recognized, though it is generally thought that this transformation occurs only postpubertally or later. However, few cases of basal cell carcinoma arising in nevus sebaceous before puberty were reported. Herein, we report a case of basal cell carcinoma arising in a nevus sebaceous on the scalp of a 10-year-old boy, and a review of the literature on prepubertal cases and the need for prophylactic surgery.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis is a potentially severe disease caused by drugs in about 90% of cases. To the best of our knowledge, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis following use of bleomycin has not been previously reported. Here we report a case of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by bleomycin, which was confirmed by patch testing.

We present a rare case of retinoid-induced sclerotic changes of lumbar spine and femur demonstrated by dual energy x-ray absorptiometrie (DEXA). The patient had flowing ossification along thoracic spine resembling diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), but there was no ligament calcification in the lumbar spine or pelvis. After discontinuation of the treatment, gradual decline of bone mineral density at lumbar and femoral sites was detected with serial DEXA measurements. To the best of our knowledge, although various abnormalities of bone due to retinoids have been described before, reversible sclerotic changes have not been reported.