1/80. Ultrapotent topical corticosteroid treatment of childhood genital lichen sclerosus. OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of short-term application of ultrapotent topical corticosteroid on symptomatic genital lesions of lichen sclerosus in pediatric patients. DESIGN: Case series of 10 prepubertal girls with genital lichen sclerosus. Ultrapotent topical corticosteroids were applied twice daily for 6 to 8 weeks and patients were reexamined at completion of treatment. Long-term follow-up over 6 months to 3 years. SETTING: Pediatric dermatology clinic (referral center). patients: Ten prepubertal girls with typical clinical features of genital and/or perianal lichen sclerosus. INTERVENTION: Topical ultrapotent corticosteroid ointment was applied sparingly to affected areas for 6 to 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Improvement of erythema, whitening erosions, and atrophy. Subjective improvement of symptoms. RESULTS: All patients showed partial or total subsistence of signs and symptoms of lichen sclerosus. Frequency and severity of recurrences varied, but patients responded within a few days to reapplication of ultrapotent topical corticosteroid. No significant adverse effects were noted after the initial 6- to 8-week course of therapy or during the 6-month to 3-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: A 6- to 8-week course of ultrapotent topical corticosteroid is a safe and effective treatment for genital lichen sclerosus in pediatric patients. ( info) |
| Squamous cell carcinoma of the penis arising on lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is rarely reported. A case is described in a 63-year-old man who had been diagnosed of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus 3 years before. The previously reported cases, the association of these diseases in women and men, and the possible pathogenesis are discussed. ( info) |
| A 76-year-old woman presented with a 7-mm, hard, pink nodule at the site of an appendectomy scar of more than 70 years' duration. The clinical impression at the time of biopsy was that of a keloid. Surprisingly, light microscopic examination revealed classic histologic features of late-stage lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) overlying a scar. elastic tissue stain highlighted the unusual presence of abundant nodules of elastin in the reticular dermis only. ( info) |
4/80. Post-stripping sclerodermiform dermatitis. BACKGROUND: Cutaneous sclerosis, a process that results in hardening of the skin, is the hallmark of scleroderma and sclerodermoid disorders. Cutaneous sclerosis is usually classified as secondary or primary, depending on the presence or absence of underlying diseases. Primary cutaneous sclerosis is a feature of idiopathic inflammatory processes that are often associated with autoimmune disorders, whereas secondary cutaneous sclerosis arises in the context of many pathological processes of varying causes, including chronic graft-vs-host disease, defined metabolic or genetic disorders, and exposure to certain infectious organisms, drugs, or chemicals. OBSERVATIONS: Three patients had localized cutaneous sclerosis overlying the site of a surgically removed (stripped) great saphenous vein. In all 3 patients, lesions were clinically characterized by multiple hypopigmented and indurated plaques distributed linearly along the path of the preexisting vein. Extensive history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests did not reveal known predisposing factors for cutaneous sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Although the observed association of sclerodermiform dermatitis and venous stripping in these 3 patients does not imply a causal relationship, the absence of other identifiable predisposing factors and the striking linear distribution of the cutaneous lesions along the path of the preexisting vein are suggestive. This poststripping sclerodermiform dermatitis may be a rare late complication of saphenous vein stripping. ( info) |
5/80. Labial fusion in children: a presenting feature of genital lichen sclerosus? Labial fusion is a common condition seen most frequently in infants and young children. While most cases are "physiological," we believe it can occasionally be the presenting feature of genital lichen sclerosus. ( info) |
| BACKGROUND: balanitis xerotica obliterans is a subcategory of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus limited to the male genitalia and is associated with destructive inflammation, phimosis, urethral stenosis, and squamous cell carcinoma. methods: The medical literature was searched from 1983-1998 using key words balanitis, lichen, and sclerosis using the medline system. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: balanitis xerotica obliterans can be distinguished from other genital dermatoses with similar characteristics through patient history, clinical findings, and laboratory evaluation.. Tzanck smear and cutaneous biopsy, along with a rapid protein reagin test, will provide a definitive diagnosis. Treatment with high-dose topical corticosteroids relieves symptoms, and therapy focuses on prevention of disease progression. ( info) |
| lichen sclerosus et atrophicus affecting only the oral mucosa is extremely rare. We report here a case of oral lichen sclerosus et atrophicus presenting as a white, flat lesion involving the right buccal and labial mucosa and vermillion border. The diagnosis was based on histopathologic features. Treatment with intralesional corticosteroid was successful in reducing the size of the lesion and the symptoms of the patient. A free gingival graft was also performed to restore the lost attached gingiva. No recurrence of the lesion was found after a 1-year follow-up period, and no skin or genital lesions developed during the 3 years of treatment. ( info) |
8/80. Benign mucinous metaplasia of the penis. A lesion resembling extramammary Paget's disease. Benign mucinous metaplasia in the surface epithelium of the genital area is rare and has only been reported once in the vulva. A unique case of benign mucinous metaplasia of the prepuce in a 65-year-old man is reported here. The lesion measured 0.6 cm, was located in the mucous surface of the foreskin, and showed acid mucin containing cells. We regard benign mucinous metaplasia as a reactive rather than a neoplastic process. The main lesions to be considered in the differential diagnosis are mucinous syringometaplasia, extramammary Paget's disease, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ with mucinous metaplasia, superficial spreading malignant melanoma, and epidermotropic metastasis. The confinement of mucin-containing cells to the epidermis, the absence of nuclear atypia, the basal orientation of the nuclei, the predominant location of the cells in the upper layers of the epithelium, and the fact that the mucinous cells are replacing the squamous epithelium rather that infiltrating it, all assist in recognizing mucinous metaplasia of the penis as a specific and benign entity. ( info) |
9/80. Surgicel in the management of labial and clitoral hood adhesions in adolescents with lichen sclerosus. STUDY OBJECTIVE: Lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory dermatosis of the vulva with potentially destructive consequences to the young woman's perineum. Long-term sequelae include atrophy of the labia minora, scarring of the clitoral hood, and labial and/or clitoral hood adhesions. This study aims to find techniques for preventing these devastating effects. PARTICIPANTS: Three young women, ages 14 and 15 years, with a long history of lichen sclerosus and labial adhesions, presented with recurrent labial and periclitoral adhesions. Increasing pain prior to presentation, exquisite enough to inhibit even walking, necessitated urgent operative intervention. Scarring of the clitoral hood with an area of firmness beneath the scarring was present. Sharp dissection of the clitoral hood was performed with the entrapped keratinaceous debris and hair expressed. The adherent labia were separated. Surgicel, oxidized regenerated cellulose gauze (Johnson & Johnson, Arlington, TX), was sutured to the exposed clitoral hood and labial surfaces with vicryl suture. Complete dissolution of the Surgicel occurred between postoperative day 4-6 without recurrence of adhesions. One-year follow-up did not reveal any evidence of recurrence in any of the three patients. CONCLUSION: The recurrence of labial and clitoral hood adhesions in young women with a history of LS was prevented for at least 1 year by surgical lysis and application of Surgicel to the affected area. This technique has prevented the recurrence during the interval when these surfaces are at highest risk of re-agglutination. ( info) |
10/80. lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, bullous morphea, and systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report. lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) rarely coexists with morphea, especially when bullae occur in lesions of morphea. Here we report the case of a 15-year-old girl with this condition, who also fulfilled four out of 11 diagnostic criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Tissue biopsy of different skin lesions showed LSA in the regions of bullous morphea, that has rarely been reported in the literature. ( info) |