Dermatopathology #1 Flashcards
This biopsy came from a plaque lesion of psoriasis. What’s the name of this sign, where alternating layers of neutrophils and parakeratosis are found in the stratum corneum?
Sandwich sign
Name four types of blue nevi.
- Common blue nevus
- Cellular blue nevus
- Deep penetrating blue nevus
- Epitheliod blue nevus
True or false: the presence of parakeratosis or eosinophils excludes the diagnosis of lichen planus.
True
What form of lupus has the highest risk of transformation to SCC?
Hypertrophic LE
True or false: sawtoothing is typically seen with a lichenoid vacuolar interface dermatitis.
False; sawtoothing never occurs along with a lichenoid vacuolar interface dermatitis
Name a pan-T marker that will be negative in the lymphocytes of mycosis fungoides?
CD7; this should be positive in all normal T-lymphocytes
True or false: dermatomyositis and lupus can be indistinguishable histologically.
True; although dermatomyositis can have an atrophic form, and lupus does not have this form (note that dermatomyositis can also show acanthosis histologically, especially from a Gottron’s papule)
In Spitz nevi, MIB-1 (Ki-67) will be negative in the deep dermal component. What does MIB-1 (Ki-67) positivity mean?
Surrogate marker for mitosis
*Image: Spitz nevus staining negative for MIB-1 (Ki-67) in the deep dermis.
True or false: pustular psoriasis may never demonstrate acanthosis.
True
*Note: early guttate lesions also don’t demonstrate acanthosis
True or false: Reiter’s disease and geographic tongue look like psoriasis histologically.
True
True or false: Spitz nevi are typically composed of both spindled and epithelioid cells.
True; older Spitz nevi composed only of epitheliod cells are suspicious for malignant melanoma.
What are the nailfold changes seen in dermatomyositis? What about lupus?
- Dermatomyositis: dilatation and dropout (“d”s for dermatomyositis)
- Lupus: glomeruloid loops (remember this because lupus can affect the kidney!)
*Image: dilatation and dropout seen in dermatomyositis
Name this lesion.
Solar lentigo
Name this lesion.
Melanotic macule
Name this lesion.
Balloon cell nevus
What type of nevus will demonstrate nevic corpuscles (looks like Meissner’s corpuscles)?
Neurotized nevus
What type of nevus often demonstrates a patchy interstitial arrangement of melanocytes?
Congenital nevus
What type of nevus is this? Note the patchy melanocytes, that, at scanning magnification, look like lymphocytes.
Congenital nevus
Name this lesion. Note clefting adjacent to the nests.
Spitz nevus
Name this lesion.
Spitz nevus
Name this nevus.
Spitz nevus
Kamino bodies represent trapped basement membrane zone in the epidermis. In what lesions are Kamino bodies found?
Spitz nevi
Name the following lesion (note both epithelioid and spindled melanocytes in the dermis).
Dermal Spitz nevus
What lesion is characterized by cells with two-toned cytoplasm?
Spitz nevus
Name this atypical melanocytic lesion.
Recurrent nevus
Name this facial lesion (note the dendritic melanocytes and the East-West orientation of these melanocytes).
Nevus of Ota
Name this atypical melanocytic lesion.
Lentigo maligna
Name this melanocytic lesion (note: this lesion falls into the “SLAM” differential).
Spindle cell melanoma
*Spindle cells “slam”ed against the dermis:
- Spindle cell SCC
- Leiomyosarcoma
- AFX
- Melanoma (spindle cell)
This melanocytic lesion is characterized by spindle cells and lymphoid aggregates. The spindle cells often have a bland appearance.
Desmoplastic melanoma
This type of melanoma is a primary soft tissue melanoma.
Clear cell sarcoma (also called melanoma of the soft parts)
This type of melanoma has a poor prognosis and is thought to relate to genomic instability of the tumor cells (note the effaced rete pattern).
Regressing melanoma (likely occurs secondary to genomic instability of the tumor cells, as opposed to the inflammatory response)
In this type of melanoma, there is no involvement at the dermoepidermal junction.
Metastatic melanoma
Name this lesion taken from a violaceous flat-topped rash.
Lichen planus
What two entities are at the top of the differential diagnosis for a lichenoid dermatitis that extends down the hair follicle? How would you distinguish these?
Lichen planopilaris and discoid lupus
Discoid lupus affects the lower hair follicle, around the isthmus, and also the ecrine coils, while lichen planopilaris tends to involve the upper hair follicle, in the indundibular area. Direct immunofluorescence is also very helpful in distinguishing these intities.
Hypertrophic LE shows a lichenoid dermatitis that is difficult to distinguish from lichen planus. What will the DIF show if this is hypertrophic LE?
“Full house” granular deposition of IgG, IgA, IgM, and C3 along the basement membrane
What condition should be considered here (note the lichenoid infiltrate and the rare melanocytic nests)?
Lichenoid regression of melanoma
What’s the diagnosis?
Porokeratosis (note the cornoid lemellae)
What three conditions can show vacuolar interface dermatitis with a “lymph in every hole”?
Mycosis fungoides, early benign lichenoid keratosis, and pityriasis lichenoides
What’s the diagnosis?
Mycosis fungoides; note the large hyperchromatic lymphocytes in the epidermis (epidermotropism), the Pautrier microabscesses, and the papillary dermal fibrosis
These atypical lymphocytes, with notched, angular, or cerebriform nuclei are best appreciated on very thin sections (1 micron). What condition is this?
Mycosis fungoides
What’s the diagnosis?
Pityriasis lichenoides
What’s the diagnosis?
Pityriasis lichenoides
What’s the diagnosis?
Pityriasis lichenoides (note the transepidermal elimination of RBCs)
What’s the most likely diagnosis?
Discoid lupus affecting the hair follicle (note the lymphoid infiltrate around the hair follicle and the keratotic spine overlying the epidermis, representing follicular plugging)
Lymphocytic infiltration of the eccrine coil can be seen in lupus, and in what other unrelated condition?
Lichen striatus
What’s the diagnosis (note “long slender sexy” rete)?
Syphilis; the “long slender sexy” rete are sometimes called “icepick” rete
What’s the diagnosis? Hint: this condition usually occurs on acral skin, although this particular biopsy is not from acral skin.
Erythema multiforme
What’s the diagnosis?
Severe erythema multiforme or TEN
What’s the diagnosis in this biopsy that looks like EM? Hint: note the acute stratum corneum, but the “paradoxical” chronic changes in the dermis, including papillary fibrosis and pigment incontinence. Note also that the infiltrate is mixed, including neutrophils and eosinophils (EM will have a purely lymphoid infiltrate).
Fixed drug eruption
What’s the eponymous name for this collection of neutrophils in the stratum corneum? Hint: this finding is often seen in psoriasis.
Munro’s microabscess
Name this condition (which isn’t always pustular). Note the psoriasiform acanthosis.
Pustular psoriasis
What’s the differential diagnosis for subcorneal pustules? Hint: use the acronymn CAT SIPS.
“CAT SIPS”
Candida, acropustulosis of infancy, transient neonatal pustular melanosis, Sneddon-Wilkinson (and IgA pemphigus), impetigo, pustular psoriasis, and Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome
The bare underbelly sign refers to a superficial perivascular lymphoid infiltrate that prodominates above the vessel, with few lymphocytes below the vessel. It’s been likened to a vaccuum cleaner sucking the lymphocytes towards the surface. In what condition is this sign seen?
Mycosis fungoides
True or false: plasma cells are present in biopsy specimens of syphilis in 2/3 of cases.
True
This condition is basically “pustular psoriasis of the tongue”.
Geographic tongue
What’s the diagnosis?
Psoriasis
What’s the diagnosis?
Plaque psoriasis
What’s the diagnosis? Note that the granular layer is absent.
Pustular psoriasis
What’s the diagnosis? Note there is no psoriasiform acanthosis.
Guttate psoriasis; note the neutrophils above the parakeratosis and the abscence of psoriasiform acanthosis
What’s the diagnosis? Note the parakeratosis that alternates with orthokeratosis in both a horizontal and vertical pattern.
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
What’s the diagnosis? Note the scale crust that shoulders the follicles.
Seborrheic dermatitis
What’s the diagnosis? Note the parakeratosis alternating both vertically and horizontally with orthokeratosis.
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
What’s the diagnosis? Note the spongiosis and RBC extravasation in this condition that is not a pigmented purpuric dermatosis.
Pityriasis rosea
*Note: this is characterized by spongiosis and RBC extravasation. However, these features may also be seen in the spongiotic versions of pigmentary purpuras.
**Note: pityriasis lichenoides is characterized by interface dermatitis and RBC extravasation, which typically leads to hemosiderin deposition.
What’s the diagnosis? Note the spongiosis and RBC extravasation. Hint: this is not a spongiotic pigmented purpuric dermatosis.
Pityriasis rosea
*Note: it’s usually the Herald patch that’s biopsied, before the diagnosis is clinically evident.
What’s the diagnosis? Note the alternating left-to-right pattern of para- and orthokeratosis.
Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus (ILVEN)
What’s the diganosis? Note the left-to-right alternating para- and orthokeratosis.
Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus (ILVEN)
What’s the diagnosis? Note the lymphocytes sitting on top of vacuoles like “lumps of coal on pillows”.
Psoriasiform type of mycosis fungoides (the other form has a lichenoid dermatitis)
In this condition atypical lymphocytes ascend upwards within the epidermis, but are most concentrated at the dermoepidermal junction.
Mycosis fungoides
What’s the diagnosis? Note the interface dermatitis with lymphocytes sitting on vacuoles like “lumps of coal on pillows”.
Mycosis fungoides; this particular example has both an interface dermatitis and a psoriasiform acanthosis
In this condition there are long slender “sexy” rete ridges, blood vessels with no lumen (due to endothelial swelling), and in 2/3 of cases plasma cells are present.
Syphilis
What disease is known as “lues”?
Syphilis
What’s the diagnosis? Note that at scan magnification, long slender “sexy” rete ridges would also be visible.
Syphilis, also known as “lues”
True or false: pellagra, glucogonauma, and acrodermatitis enteropathica all look the same histologically.
True; note the pallor, swelling, and necrosis of the epidermal keratinocytes in combination with a normal stratum corneum
What’s the diagnosis?
A nutritional deficiency, including pellagra, glucagonauma, and acrodermatitis enteropathica
What’s the diagnosis? Note the thick granular layer as well as keratohyaline granules within the stratum corneum.
Granular parakeratosis (also known as intertriginous granular parakeratosis or axillary granular parakeratosis)
Usually if orthokeratosis is present, the underlying stratum granulosum is normal. If parakeratosis is present, the stratum granulosum layer is reduced. What are the two exceptions to this rule?
1) Granular parakeratosis: thick granular layer and parakeratosis
2) Ichthyosis vulgaris: loss of granular layer and orthokeratosis
What’s the diagnosis?
Porokeratosis
*Note: a lichenoid infiltrate is often present.
Name this reaction pattern.
Acute spongiotic dermatitis
*Note: there’a an acute stratum corneum, since the process is acute (i.e. no chance for the changes to affect the stratum corneum yet)
Name this reaction pattern. Note the spongiosis and acanthosis, but no papillary dermal fibrosis.
Subacute spongiotic dermatitis
*Note: in chronic spongiotic dermatitis there will typically be papillary dermal fibrosis and compact hyperkeratosis.
What two reaction patterns are Langerhans cell granulomas seen in? Note the Langerhans cells have ample cytoplasm, and eccentrically placed reniform (kidney-shaped) nuclei.
Acute spongiotic dermatitis and subacute spongiotic dermatitis