Korean J Dermatol.
2011 Aug;49(8):690-698.
Clinicopathological Study of Pyogenic Granuloma
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sajajang@gmail.com
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
Pyogenic granuloma is a common vascular neoplasm of the skin and mucous membranes. However, few comprehensive studies are available on the clinical and histopathological characteristics of pyogenic granuloma.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the clinical and histopathological characteristics of pyogenic granuloma.
METHODS
Patients with pyogenic granuloma diagnosed clinically and histopathologically were reviewed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Fifty patients (17 males and 33 females) were enrolled, and the mean age of onset was 33.6 years old. The mean lesion size was 6.7 mm. Forty-eight patients had a solitary lesion, whereas two patients had multiple lesions on the skin and mucosa. The most common area for lesions was the head and neck followed by the hands, trunk, and lower extremities. Patient complained of easy bleeding, pain, tenderness, and pruritus. Dermoscopic findings of nine lesions showed patterns of a reddish homogenous area, white scaly collarette, white rail lines, and a hemorrhagic crust. Histopathological findings of all biopsy cases showed a lobular pattern of angiomatous tissue with numerous congested capillaries, a flattened epidermis, a well-formed epidermal collarette, and CD34-positive endothelial cells. Various treatment modalities including surgery and laser have been used, but lesions recurred following a single laser treatment with a pulsed dye laser or long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser.
CONCLUSION
A correlation between clinicopathological and dermoscopic findings was useful for the differential diagnosis of other diseases mimicking pyogenic granuloma and to detect recurrence after treatment. Laser treatments were less invasive therapy, but the recurrence rate was higher than that of other surgical modalities when used alone. Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of the various treatment modalities.
