Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa: A rare isolated cutaneous vasculitis

Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPAN) is a rare form of cutaneous vasculitis that involves small and medium sized arteries of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue without systemic involvement. It presents with tender subcutaneous nodules, digital gangrene, livedo reticularis and subcutaneous ulceratio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Praveen Kumar A Subbanna, Negi Vir Singh, Rathinam P Swaminathan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2012-01-01
Series:Indian Dermatology Online Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.idoj.in/article.asp?issn=2229-5178;year=2012;volume=3;issue=1;spage=21;epage=24;aulast=Subbanna
Description
Summary:Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPAN) is a rare form of cutaneous vasculitis that involves small and medium sized arteries of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue without systemic involvement. It presents with tender subcutaneous nodules, digital gangrene, livedo reticularis and subcutaneous ulcerations. The diagnosis is by skin biopsy and characteristic pathologic feature is a leukocytoclastic vasculitis in the small to medium-sized arterioles of the dermis. We report a rare case of benign cutaneous PAN in a 14-year-old girl who presented with history of fever, subcutaneous nodules with cutaneous ulcer and digital gangrene. The skin biopsy showed leukocytoclastic vasculitis with fibrinoid necrosis in the dermal vessels. She received treatment with steroids and lesions resolved completely over a period of month.
ISSN:2229-5178