[Erythema palmare hereditarium (Lane's disease): Report of a paediatric case]

BACKGROUND

Palmar erythema may be either congenital or acquired, hereditary or non-hereditary. Its diagnosis and management differs according to whether or not it is acquired, hereditary or associated with symptoms. Herein, we report the case of a child with hereditary palmoplantar erythema (Lane's disease).

OBSERVATION

A 2½-year-old girl consulted for palmar erythema, present since birth, predominantly on the thenar and hypothenar eminences and on the palmar aspect of her fingers. She also presented mild diffuse erythema on the soles of her feet. Both her mother and grandmother had similar signs. The girl had neither impairment nor pain linked to this erythema, and she had no associated symptoms. Physical examination was otherwise normal, as were the results of standard laboratory tests.

DISCUSSION

We diagnosed Lane's disease based on the girl's hereditary erythema with autosomal dominant transmission, and the congenital and asymptomatic nature of her palmoplantar erythema. Nine publications have reported cases of Lane's disease, but this condition is probably highly under-reported.

Early symptoms and long-term clinical outcomes of distal limb's cutaneous arterio-venous malformations: a retrospective multicentre study of 19 adult patients

INTRODUCTION

Cutaneous arterio-venous malformations (AVM) are high-flow vascular malformations made up of a direct link between arteries and veins without intermediary capillary space. 'Distal limb's AVM', which mean involving hands or feet, are rare and their functional prognosis is often poor. Little is known about their early clinical symptoms. The objectives of this study were to identify early clinical symptoms of distal limb's cutaneous AVMs and to determine their long-term clinical outcome.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out including adult patients who had distal limb's AVM, who were followed up between January 2000 and November 2013 in two regional tertiary care centres. The information was collected from patients' clinical records and completed by a structured telephone questionnaire.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients were included in the study: four (21%) with foot AVM and 15 (79%) with hand AVM. The first clinical symptoms were as follows: swelling (47%), pain (47%), one or several venous dilatations (37%) and rarely abnormal skin colour, hyperthermia and pulsating sensation. The median diagnosis delay was 9 years after the onset of first manifestations. Amongst the 17 patients who underwent a treatment, 53% had embolotherapy session(s), 12% surgery and 35% had both. After an average follow-up of 57.6 months, 31% of the 13 patients contacted who were receiving treatment were in complete remission; 31% had partial remission; 15% had relapse after initial improvement and 23% had treatment failure. Overall, 74% of patients had a serious development of the AVM: 37% had digital or hand amputation, and 42% remained symptomatic and/or unstable.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that initial manifestations of distal limb's AVMs are discreet and non-specific, leading to a diagnosis delay of about 10 years, with poor prognosis. Doctors should evoke the diagnosis earlier, when these symptoms are shown: pain and/or swelling, sometimes with a large vein.

Serial lymphoscintigraphic findings in a patient with Gorham's disease with lymphedema

Gorham's disease is a rare disorder characterized by vascular, "lymphangio- matous" and/or "hemangiomatous" lesions in bone and surrounding soft tissues. Associated lymphedema has not been reported and clinical evolution is unpredictable. Plain radiographs, CT, MRI, and occasionally bone scintigraphy, are used to detect the bone and soft tissues changes. Biopsy is a major component of the diagnostic process. We report the findings of serial lymphoscintigraphy in a young boy with a polyostotic Gorham's disease associated with lymphangioma of the thigh and lower limb lymphedema. In this patient, lymphoscintigraphy was useful for diagnosis and follow-up of primary lymphedema. It provided valuable information concerning the occurrence, location, and progression of lymphatic lesions in both bone and soft tissues.