Indian Journal of Dermatology
E-CORRESPONDENCE
Year
: 2013  |  Volume : 58  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 161-

Congenital melanocytic nevus admixed with speckled lentiginous nevus


Nam-Ji Jeong, Seung-Bae Park, Young Lee, Young-Joon Seo, Jeung-Hoon Lee, Myung Im 
 Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea

Correspondence Address:
Myung Im
Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon
Korea




How to cite this article:
Jeong NJ, Park SB, Lee Y, Seo YJ, Lee JH, Im M. Congenital melanocytic nevus admixed with speckled lentiginous nevus.Indian J Dermatol 2013;58:161-161


How to cite this URL:
Jeong NJ, Park SB, Lee Y, Seo YJ, Lee JH, Im M. Congenital melanocytic nevus admixed with speckled lentiginous nevus. Indian J Dermatol [serial online] 2013 [cited 2023 Oct 1 ];58:161-161
Available from: https://www.e-ijd.org/text.asp?2013/58/2/161/108091


Full Text

Sir,

Speckled lentiginous nevus (SLN) clinically presents as a circumscribed patch of hyperpigmentation that has features consistent with lentigines or caf�-au-lait macules, including scattered, more darkly-pigmented macular, and papular elements.[1] In some cases, dark spots from lentigines to compound or intradermal nevi may occur, and various types of nevi (blue nevi, Spitz nevi) may be present in the same lesion.[2] However, only a few cases of the presence of an SLN and concurrent congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) since birth have been reported.[3],[4]

A 28-year-old male presented with a large pigmented lesion on his back, present since birth. This congenital lesion consisted of a 7 × 8 cm black hairy plaque on a large light brown patch with numerous scattered darker brown macules [Figure 1]. Its increase in size was solely in proportion to the patient's growth. The patient had no other skin abnormality, underlying disease, or family history. A biopsy was obtained from the black plaque on his back.

Histopathological examination of the specimen showed basal hyperpigmentation with a lentiginous pattern and nevus cells penetrating the dermis around hair follicles. There was no cytological or architectural atypia within the lesion [Figure 2]a and b.{Figure 1}{Figure 2}

A CMN usually has a somewhat speckled component because of an uneven melanocytic distribution. In such cases, the speckled component is frequently seen only at the peripheral portion of the nevus.[2],[3] Therefore, the speckled component of the CMN can be distinguished from an SLN clinically. The speckled component in our patient did not exhibit a peripheral distribution, and there was a classic CMN admixed with a speckled component at the centre of the lesion. A lentiginous pattern of rete ridges in CMN is uncommon. Therefore, CMN seems to have simultaneously occurred above the base of the SLN rather than the SLN spreading from the CMN. Moreover, the SLN and CMN had been present concurrently since birth. Therefore, we diagnosed CMN with concurrent SLN. A few cases of CMN hybrid with SLN have been reported previously. These reports emphasised that SLN that fall within the spectrum of CMN include the following observations. First, SLN present at birth or are noted soon thereafter. Second, the patterns of distribution reflect embryonic development. Third, SLN exhibit hamartomatous behaviour with various types of nevi (e.g. blue nevi, Spitz nevi, and junctional nevi) presenting within the same lesion over time.[2],[3],[4] We described a patient with a congenital pigmented lesion that had the clinical appearance of an SLN, and presented as a hybrid lesion with a CMN. The occurrence of CMN with SLN is rare. We believe that this case supports the hypothesis that SLN is a subtype of CMN.

References

1Wolff K, Goldsmith LA, Katz SI, Gilchrest BA, Paller AS, Leffell DJ. et al. Benign neopoasias and hyperplasias of melanocyte. In: Grichnik JM, Rhodes AR, Sober AJ, editors. Fitzpatrick's dermatology in general medicine. 7 th ed. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2008. p. 1103-4.
2Elder DE, Elenitsas R, Johnson BL, Murphy GF, Xu X. Benign pigmented lesions and malignant melanoma. In: Elder DE, Elenitsas R, Murphy GF, Xu X. editors. Lever's histopathology of the skin. 10 th ed. Philadelphia, USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2008. p. 709.
3Torrelo A, de Prada I, Zambrano A, Happle R. Extensive speckled lentiginous nevus associated with giant congenital melanocytic nevus: An unusual example of twin spotting? Eur J Dermatol 2003;13:534-6.
4Brufau C, Moran M, Armijo M. Nevus on nevus. Apropos of 7 case reports, 3 of them associated with other dysplasias, and 1 with an invasive malignant melanoma. Ann Dermatol Venereol 1986;113:409-18.