Congenital melanocytic nevi with halo phenomenon: report of two cases and a review of the literature

Abstract

Verrucous congenital nevocellular nevi surrounded by a depigmented halo occurring in a 7-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl were excised and the wounds closed primarily. Histopathologic studies revealed a striking arrangement of the inflammatory infiltrate in these halo nevi. A dense, band-like, lymphohistiocytic infiltrate was found only around and intermingled with A- and B-type nevomelanocytes in the upper dermis, whereas inflammatory infiltrates were completely absent from type C-nevomelanocytes in the lower parts of the reticular dermis. The literature is reviewed with particular consideration of congenital halo nevi.