Reactive angioendotheliomatosis (RA) is a rare, benign disease. Affected patients present with self-limited, erythematous to violaceous plaques. The clinical lesions are due to intravascular hyperplasia of cytologically banal endothelial cells in the dermis. We report 2 patients who presented with ulcerated, violaceous plaques on the lower extremities. Both had severe peripheral vascular atherosclerotic disease requiring bypass grafts. Unlike previously described cases of RA, our patient's lesions were due to a diffuse proliferation of endothelial cells in the reticular dermis with only minimal, focal intravascular proliferation of these cells. Positive immunostaining with antibodies to Factor VIII-related and CD34 antigens adds evidence that the proliferated cells in the dermis were endothelial cells.
We describe a 40-year-old woman with systemic scleroderma who had hundreds of firm nodules that developed on the trunk and upper extremities during several months. We briefly review previously reported cases of this rare variant of scleroderma.
Here, a case of a rare epithelial sheath neuroma (ESN) is reported. A 49-year-old white female presented with a 5 mm solitary, slightly raised, erythematous, itchy papule on her right upper back. The clinical impression was consistent with an inflamed nevus. The patient had no past medical history of malignancy or a family history of neurofibromatosis. There was no prior trauma, surgical procedures, or skin disease at the site. After excision, the patient has had no recurrence at the surgery site during a 4-months follow-up period. ESN is characterized by enlarged nerve fibers ensheathed by a sometimes keratinized squamous epithelium located in the superficial dermis where large nerves are not normally found. It is believed to be a benign neoplasm and simple excision is curative. The histologic differential diagnosis of ESN is presented, and possible mechanisms of its pathogenesis are discussed. It is important for the pathologist and dermatologist to be cognizant of this lesion to prevent misdiagnosis of perineural invasion.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.