Abstract

Multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma: From clinical presentation to diagnosis

Author(s): Andre Melicia

Literature review: Multinucleated cell angiohistiocytoma (MCAH) is a rare clinical entity whose pathogenesis is not fully understood. It is more common in middle-aged women and is characterized by erythematoviolaceous papules or nodules, usually asymptomatic and predominantly located in the extremities. Histopathology is essential for making the diagnosis, consisting of typical alterations in the dermis, namely the proliferation of small vessels and the presence of multinucleated giant cells. Evolution is benign, although persistent, with few reported cases of spontaneous remission.

Case presentation: 48- year-old man, referred by a primary care physician to a dermatology consult, who exhibited asymptomatic papules and nodules grouped on the back of both hands, with a year of evolution. He was diagnosed with MCAH after the histopathologic study, which excluded differential diagnoses that were clinically proposed.

Discussion: Although there were typical clinical and histopathologic findings of MCAH, this clinical case merits interest by the rarity of this pathology, and its elusiveness. It’s also important to note the good continuity of care, from primary to secondary medical setting. With this case study the author intends to contribute to the knowledge about this entity and highlight the complementarity between clinical observation and histopathology analysis