Pyostomatitis vegetans

Abstract

Pyostomatitis vegetans is a rare and unusual disorder of the oral cavity, characterized by erythema and edema of the mucosa and numerous small, superficial yellow pustules. Its significance lies in its association with inflammatory disease of the bowel, either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. We report here a patient with pyostomatitis vegetans who, upon medical workup, was discovered to have asymptomatic Crohn's disease. The clinical features, histopathology, and treatment of pyostomatitis vegetans, and its purported relationship to pemphigus vegetans of Neumann are discussed.