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. 2010 Oct;55(4):390-2.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.74566.

Pilomatricoma as a diagnostic pitfall in clinical practice: report of two cases and review of literature

Ishita Pant  1 , Sanjeev Chandra Joshi, Gurjeet Kaur, Gokula Kumar
Affiliations

Pilomatricoma as a diagnostic pitfall in clinical practice: report of two cases and review of literature

Ishita Pant et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Pilomatricoma (PMC) is a relatively uncommon benign skin neoplasm arising from the skin adnexa. Since the first description of PMC in 1880, there has been a gradual increase in understanding of the morphologic features and clinical presentation of this tumor. However, difficulties still persist in making clinical and cytologic diagnosis. We report the clinical and histopathological findings of two cases of pilomatricoma. In case 1, a 10-year-old girl presented with a right upper back mass. In case 2, a nine-year-old girl presented with a left ear lobe mass. The clinical findings in both the cases were suggestive of epidermoid/dermoid cyst. However, subsequent histopathologic examination confirmed these cases as pilomatricoma. This report reveals that pilomatricoma is a frequently misdiagnosed entity in clinical practice. The purpose of this article is to create awareness among clinicians on the possibility of pilomatricoma as a cause of solitary skin nodules, especially those on the head, neck or upper extremities.

Keywords: Pilomatricoma; dermatopathology; skin nodules.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photomicrograph of pilomatricoma showing the characteristic basaloid (thick arrow) and shadow cells (thin arrow) (H and E, ×100)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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