Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul-Aug;60(4):391-3.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.160493.

O'Brien Actinic Granuloma: A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature

Affiliations

O'Brien Actinic Granuloma: A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature

Inês D Coutinho et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2015 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

O'Brien first described the actinic granuloma in 1975, as an infrequent granulomatous disorder occurring in sun-exposed skin, with a slow but often self-limited course. Ever since its initial description, the actinic physiopathogenic hypothesis has been debated by many authors. We report a 60-year-old female rural worker that presented with a 14 × 7 cm annular lesion with erythematous elevated borders and an atrophic center on the right calf. The lesion was evolving for 2 years, and histopathology confirmed actinic granuloma. She started acitretin with halting of disease progression after 6 months of therapy. Our case can also be associated to actinic damage, despite its unusual location, therefore highlighting the role of solar elastosis in the development of O'Brien actinic granuloma.

Keywords: Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma; Miescher granuloma of the face; O’Brien actinic granuloma; elastophagocytosis; necrobiosis lipoidica presenting on the face and scalp.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annular lesion with erythematous scalloped borders and an atrophic center occupying the right calf
Figure 2
Figure 2
Multinucleated giant cells composing a granulomatous infiltrate occupying the upper and mid dermis, with foci of elastophagocytosis (arrow), adjacent to areas of solar elastosis (star). (H and E, original magnification ×200)
Figure 3
Figure 3
A detailed image of elastophagocytosis using Verhoeff van Gieson stain. (original magnification ×400)

References

    1. Brien JP. Actinic granuloma. Arch Dermatol. 1975;111:460–6. - PubMed
    1. Tellechea O, Matos J, Machado A, Poiares Baptista A. Granuloma actínico. Piel. 1989;4:366–70.
    1. Brien JP. Actinic granuloma. The expanding significance. An analysis of its origin in elastotic “aging” skin and a definition of necrobiotic (vascular), histiocitic and sarcoid variants. Int J Dermatol. 1985;24:473–89. - PubMed
    1. Lau H, Reid BJ, Weedon D. Actinic granuloma in association with giant cell arteritis: Are both caused by sunlight? Pathology. 1997;29:260–2. - PubMed
    1. McGrae JD., Jr Actinic granuloma: A clinical, histopathologic, and immunocytochemical study. Arch Dermatol. 1986;122:43–7. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources