Bacillary Angiomatosis Associated With Pseudoepitheliomatous Hyperplasia

Clear Cell Change in Reactive Angiogenesis: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall

Reactive angiogenesis is commonplace, occurs in many circumstances, and is important in the repair of injured tissue. Histologically, it is characterized by newly formed capillaries arranged in a lobular architecture and lined by plump endothelial cells. We have encountered a form of reactive angiogenesis not well described; composed of large endothelial cells with abundant clear cytoplasm that causes diagnostic challenges. The cohort includes 10 patients, aged 4 to 61, mean 40 years; 7 males, 3 females. One case involved bone (ilium), and 9 involved soft tissue: fingers (n=2), toes (n=2), hip joint (n=1), shoulder (n=1), thigh (n=2), and anal mucosa (n=1). Clinically, the patients had chronic ulcers, osteomyelitis, or localized infection. All cases exhibited a lobular proliferation of capillaries lined by large polyhedral endothelial cells that obscured the vessel lumens and were admixed with acute and chronic inflammation. The endothelial nuclei were vesicular with small nucleoli and the cytoplasm was abundant and clear or palely eosinophilic. The endothelial cells were stained with CD31 and ERG (7/7 cases), CD34 (6/6), FLI1 (4/4), and were negative for keratin and CD68 (6/6). Periodic acid-Schiff stain and periodic acid-Schiff stain-diastase on 3 cases did not demonstrate glycogen. Using a polymerase chain reaction, no Bartonella henselae was found in all 6 cases tested. Reactive angiogenesis with clear cell change unassociated with Bartonella spp. has not been described. It causes diagnostic challenges and the differential diagnosis includes benign and malignant tumors, as well as unusual infections. It is important to distinguish between these possibilities because of the significant impact on treatment and prognosis.

Concomitant cat scratch disease and squamous cell carcinoma in a cardiac transplant

Cat scratch disease has been reported very rarely in cardiac transplant recipients. In a review of 1073 episodes of infection in 620 heart transplant patients over a 16 year period, only one case of infection secondary to Bartonella henselae was documented. Another case of hepatosplenic bacillary angiomatosis from B. henselae was reported 2 decades ago in a heart transplant recipient who had presented with fevers of unknown origin. Although the typical clinical manifestation is that of a skin lesion accompanied with lymphadenopathy, cat scratch disease may present with persistent fevers without a clinically overt infective focus in immunosuppressed individuals. Moreover, more than one disease process may coexist in immunocompromised hosts. While the lymphadenopathy in our patient was secondary to Cat scratch disease, interestingly, the adjacent skin lesion that was thought to represent unhealed site of inoculation of Bartonella was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma.

[Inflammatory dermatoses]

The seven basic patterns of inflammatory dermatoses according to Ackerman can be applied to infectious dermatoses. However, it should be borne in mind that infection caused by one agent may induce differing patterns according to the stage of disease. Dermatophytosis and the arthropod reaction belong to perivascular dermatoses with spongiosis. Secondary syphilis and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans regularly show a lichenoid infiltrate with interface dermatitis, whereas epidermal involvement is typically absent in erythema migrans, virus exanthema and bacillary angiomatosis. Lupus vulgaris, atypic mycobacteriosis, lepra, actinomycosis, cutaneous leishmaniosis and erysipelas belong to the nodular and diffuse dermatoses. In the group of vasculitides, septic vasculitis is induced by a biological agent, and the pattern of vesicular dermatitis is reflected by infections with herpes viruses, impetigo contagiosa and staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome. Follicular dermatitis shows a pattern of furuncles and carbuncles which are mainly caused by bacteria or fungi.

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia: a review

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) is a benign condition, characterized by hyperplasia of the epidermis and adnexal epithelium, closely simulating squamous cell carcinoma. PEH may be present in a number of conditions characterized by prolonged inflammation and/or chronic infection, as well as in association with many cutaneous neoplasms. Herein, we review different inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic skin diseases, in which florid epidermal hyperplasia is a prominent histopathologic feature, and introduce a systematic approach in the interpretation of PEH.

Focal injection of vancomycin combined with surgical debridement-dermatoplasty in the treatment of pseudo-epitheliomatous granuloma

BACKGROUND

Pseudo-epitheliomatous granuloma (PEG) can occur in some small skin wounds with secondary infections resulting from improper treatments. It is difficult to heal and can easily relapse.

OBJECTIVES

This study explores the clinical and pathological characteristics of PEG and effective treatments.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Tissue specimens of PEG obtained from 11 patients (age range: 2-67 years) were sent for microbial examination and histological observation. The local lesions were treated by focal injection of vancomycin combined with surgical debridement-dermatoplasty.

RESULTS

The diagnosis of PEG was based on histological examination, which revealed long epithelial peduncle encapsulated granulation tissue-like honeycomb in which more vessels, macrophages, lymphocytes and mast cells and less extracellular matrix were distributed. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pyocyaneus, ethylene-type Streptococcus, stool Streptococcus and F-citric acid Bacillus were found in the microbial culture of the specimens. They were tolerant to celbenin but sensitive to vancomycin. PEG could be cured by focal application of vancomycin combined with free skin or skin flap after thorough debridement. The relapse of PEG could be prevented by the therapy.

CONCLUSION

Focal injection of vancomycin combined with surgical debridement-dermatoplasty is an effective therapy for PEG.