Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma--actinic granuloma?

Abstract

A 56-year-old woman with annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma is reported. She had annular, slowly growing lesions on sun-exposed areas and the dorsum of one foot. Biopsies from both areas revealed a mid-dermal inflammatory infiltrate with many giant cells engulfing elastic fibres. The current nosological situation of this process is discussed. Actinic granuloma (AG) is a term coined by O'Brien in 1975 to describe a cutaneous process characterized by multiple annular lesions located on sun-exposed skin areas. The histopathology is defined by the presence of multinucleated giant cells containing elastic fibres at the lesion edge, and the absence of these fibres at the lesion centre. The nosology of this disease and the role of actinic exposure as a triggering factor for it has been much discussed in recent years. We report a new case of AG not limited to photo-exposed areas.