Korean J Dermatol.  2009 Mar;47(3):350-353.

A Case of Foreign Body Granuloma with Skin Necrosis Occurring after Bee Sting Therapy

• Bae EJ
• Son SB
• Seo SH
• Son SW
• Kim IH

Abstract

Bee sting therapy is sometimes used for the treatment of chronic recalcitrant neuralgia and arthralgia and chronic eczema in traditional Korean herbal medicine. The stings of many insects are withdrawn after stinging. However, in certain cases, retained sting materials at the treatment site may induce granulomatous inflammation. A 76-year-old man presented with an erythematous plaque containing a central ulcer and granulation tissue after he had undergone bee sting therapy for a palpable subcutaneous nodule in the right axilla area and eczema on the back. The biopsy specimen showed a granulomatous response marked by histiocytes and giant cells surrounding foreign material. Histologic examination of the subcutaneous nodule in the right axilla showed mature fat cells consistent with a lipoma. Thus, we report a rare case of a foreign body granuloma with skin necrosis occurring after bee sting therapy.

Keyword

Bee sting; Foreign body granuloma; Lipoma

MeSH Terms

Adipocytes
Aged
Arthralgia
Axilla
Bees
Biopsy
Bites and Stings
Eczema
Foreign Bodies
Giant Cells
Granulation Tissue
Granuloma, Foreign-Body
Herbal Medicine
Histiocytes
Humans
Inflammation
Insects
Lipoma
Necrosis
Neuralgia
Skin
Ulcer