Dermoscopic Findings in the Diagnosis of Pigmented Purpuric Dermatosis: Descriptive Research

Abstract

Objective: Pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPD) are a group of disorders characterized by chronic and relapsing petechial and pigmented lesions. Our study aims to find out whether dermoscopy can be used in the differential diagnosis of these diseases. Material and Methods: This study enrolled patients who visited the Dermatology Department of Kocaeli University and were diagnosed with PPD by clinical presentation and histopathologic examination. Lesions were examined with handheld dermoscope and dermoscopic images of some patients were also recorded using a videodermoscope. Results: The dermoscopic examination was performed in total of 58 lesions located in different anatomic regions of 30 patients who were enrolled in our study. The most common finding was red round-oval globules, which were found in 55 (94.8%) of 58 lesions examined. The other findings were diffuse brownish-orange pigmentation in the background (65.5%, n=38), red dots (60.3%, n=35), red patches (20.6%, n=12), brown network (18.9%, n=11), twisted red loops (18.9%, n=11) and linear vessels (15.5%, n=9). When different anatomic regions (feet, legs, thighs) were evaluated separately; red globules, diffuse brownish-orange background, and red spots were the most frequently detected findings amongst all. Brown network rate was higher in the feet than in other regions, but it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Red roundoval globules, brownish-orange background and red spots were the most common dermoscopic findings in our study. But these were not considered as spesific features for PPD. Dermoscopy is a practical, noninvasive and rapid method that can be used in the differential diagnosis of the patinets presenting with purpura.