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. 2014:2014:418257.
doi: 10.1155/2014/418257. Epub 2014 Jan 8.

Circumscribed morphea and breast asymmetry in an adolescent

António Augusto Fernandes Massa  1 , Armando Manuel Simões Baptista  1 , António Manuel Ferreira da Silva Abreu Couceiro  2 , Eduarda Macedo Osório Morais Ferreira  1
Affiliations

Circumscribed morphea and breast asymmetry in an adolescent

António Augusto Fernandes Massa et al. Case Rep Dermatol Med. 2014.

Abstract

Morphea is a rare fibrosing disorder of the skin and underlying tissues. Circumscribed morphea presents with less than three discrete indurated plaques and breasts are commonly affected in women. We report the case of a 12-year-old female with a right infra-areolar, nontender, brownish patch and asymmetry of the right breast with 2 years of evolution. Skin biopsy showing thickening of the dermal collagen bundles confirmed the clinical diagnosis of morphea. After a 3-year follow-up period without progression of disease, reconstructive surgery is scheduled. Plaque morphea can involve all layers of the skin but associated breast deformity is rare. It can mimic benign and malignant breast disorders justifying the benefit for early tissue biopsy. Breast morphea generally has a good prognosis but hyperpigmentation and breast deformity in young girls have been rarely described. An early diagnosis can possibly lead to a therapeutic intervention with a different outcome, as it can be the source of severe psychological and social issues in a delicate period of development such as adolescence.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Right breast asymmetry, infra-areolar patch, with 7 cm, with nontender, brownish, hyperpigmented, and hypopigmented areas.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Haematoxylin and eosin—thickening of the dermal collagen bundles with a perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltrate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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