Eran Shavit1, Michael Cecchini1,2, James J Limacher1, Scott Walsh1,2, Ashely Wentworth3, Mark Denis P Davis3, Afsaneh Alavi1,3. 1. 7985266277985 Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 2. 7938494622 Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 3. 6915 Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by painful and ulcerating lesions on the skin. It rarely involves the face and is often difficult to diagnose. There are few cases reported in the literature of PG involving the face. AIM: To share our experience with 5 patients in whom the final diagnosis was PG involving the face, and to review the literature. METHODS: We report a series of 5 patients with a final diagnosis of PG involving the face and reviewed relevant literature. We searched through PubMed andEMBASE using keywords such as "face" and "pyoderma gangrenosum," "blastomycosis-like pyoderma gangrenosum, vegetative pyoderma gangrenosum and granulomatous pyoderma gangrenosum." RESULTS: We report 5 patients (4 females) with pyoderma gangrenosum involving the face. All 5 had a final diagnosis of superficial granulomatous PG. All cases presented with nonhealing facial ulcer most commonly on cheeks and a common histopathology of mixed inflammatory infiltrates, multinucleated giant cells, and plasma cells with some granulomatous inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: PG can involve the face, and all 5 of our patients had the superficial granulomatous as the most common form.
BACKGROUND: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by painful and ulcerating lesions on the skin. It rarely involves the face and is often difficult to diagnose. There are few cases reported in the literature of PG involving the face. AIM: To share our experience with 5 patients in whom the final diagnosis was PG involving the face, and to review the literature. METHODS: We report a series of 5 patients with a final diagnosis of PG involving the face and reviewed relevant literature. We searched through PubMed andEMBASE using keywords such as "face" and "pyoderma gangrenosum," "blastomycosis-like pyoderma gangrenosum, vegetative pyoderma gangrenosum and granulomatous pyoderma gangrenosum." RESULTS: We report 5 patients (4 females) with pyoderma gangrenosum involving the face. All 5 had a final diagnosis of superficial granulomatous PG. All cases presented with nonhealing facial ulcer most commonly on cheeks and a common histopathology of mixed inflammatory infiltrates, multinucleated giant cells, and plasma cells with some granulomatous inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: PG can involve the face, and all 5 of our patients had the superficial granulomatous as the most common form.