Congenital Becker's nevus with a familial association

Becker's nevus is a unilateral, hyperpigmented cutaneous hamartoma usually with hypertrichosis. It occurs predominantly in boys, becoming apparent during adolescence, although several cases of congenital Becker's nevus have been reported. Rarely it may be familial and as such is transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern. We report a 16-month-old black boy with a hyperpigmented patch on his right shoulder and upper pectoral area that extended down his arm. The patient's father has a similar lesion with hair on his left shoulder which has been present since childhood. Histology of the child's lesion was consistent with Becker's nevus. We believe this to be the first reported case of a congenital Becker's nevus with a familial association.

Tinea incognito and "over-the-counter" potent topical steroids

The term tinea incognito has been used to describe a dermatophyte infection modified by corticosteroid treatment. Lesions are often atypical appearing and the diagnosis is frequently delayed or missed. This difficulty is often exacerbated by the random misuse of potent dermatologic preparations that can alter the initial presentation to the dermatologist. Recently, we have encountered an increasing number of patients who have obtained potent superpotent topical steroids "over the counter" to self-treat various dermatoses. We report two such cases of tinea incognito that were exacerbated and altered clinically by the use of such preparations.

Cimetidine therapy for recalcitrant warts in adults

BACKGROUND

Common warts, or verrucae vulgaris, occur most often in children. However, many adults are plagued by this ubiquitous viral infection. Various modalities have been used to treat warts, but none is uniformly effective or directly antiviral. A recent study showed cimetidine to be effective in the treatment of multiple warts in children. Anecdotal reports have suggested that the administration of high doses of cimetidine, through various proposed immunomodulating mechanisms, can improve recalcitrant warts in adults. There have been no data published to date supporting these claims.

OBSERVATIONS

An open-label study was conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of high-dose cimetidine in 20 adult patients with recalcitrant warts. Of the 18 patients who completed the study, 16 patients (84%) had either dramatic clinical improvement or complete resolution of their wart lesions after 3 months of cimetidine therapy without any adverse effects. No patient demonstrated disease progression while receiving the medication and complete responders remained free of lesions at 1-year follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

This study further confirms that high-dose cimetidine therapy appears to be beneficial and safe in the treatment of recalcitrant warts in adults. Further placebo-controlled studies are needed to determine its true efficacy.

Quality of care: issue or oversight in health care reform?

BACKGROUND

Health care reform is not dead but merely on hiatus. The vehicle for the reform is managed care, in particular health maintenance organizations (HMOs). HMOs employ primary care physicians as gatekeepers to act as regulators and points of entry into the health care system. It is through these gatekeepers that most dermatologic care is rendered.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to assess (1) the level of dermatology training of family practice physicians compared with dermatologists and (2) the impact on the delivery of quality dermatology services.

METHODS

a national study of university residency programs was undertaken. Twenty color Kodachromes of typical cutaneous diseases were analyzed by the two physician groups. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the average formal dermatology training received, the number of primary dermatology patients examined by family practitioners, the correct response rates to the questions, and the dermatologic procedures performed by family practitioners. A total of 723 family practice physicians and 443 dermatologists responded.

RESULTS

Our results indicate that, in comparison to dermatologists, primary care physicians significantly are deficient in their ability to recognize common and serious dermatoses.

CONCLUSION

this study provides data emphasizing the need for reevaluation of the dermatology curriculum in medical schools and family practice residencies. Most important, it suggests that direct access to dermatologists provides better quality of care to members of HMOs and hence indirectly is most cost effective for the provision of dermatology services.

Recent advances in laser treatment of benign cutaneous lesions

Highly specific lasers provide an effective form of treatment for benign vascular and pigmented lesions. These lasers produce excellent cosmetic results while virtually eliminating adverse effects. With several laser treatments, clinicians can achieve dramatic results.

Flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser treatment for pyogenic granuloma

Pyogenic granuloma is a frequently diagnosed, benign vascular lesion common in children and young adults. Treatment of pyogenic granuloma consists of removal of the lesion for therapeutic as well as diagnostic purposes. Current treatment modalities include curettage with electrodesiccation, cryosurgery, chemical cauterization, and argon laser therapy. However, these methods are not without the risk of complications such as scarring and pigmentary changes. The recently reported success of the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser for treating telangiectasias, hemangiomas, and port-wine stains led us to hypothesize that this same device, using different variables, such as multiple overlapping pulses, would be of benefit in the treatment of pyogenic granuloma. We describe three patients with pyogenic granuloma treated with the pulsed dye laser, with the total number of treatments and energy densities varying according to the size of the initial lesion. All three patients demonstrated complete resolution of lesions with no evidence of scarring, atrophy, or pigment changes. This preliminary report suggests that pulsed laser therapy should be considered in the treatment of pyogenic granuloma, especially in cosmetically sensitive areas.