Andrea Andreassi

A new model of epidermal culture for the surgical treatment of vitiligo.

Background Vitiligo can be successfully treated with grafts of autologous cultured epidermal cells.

Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome (Thomson-Type) and Myelodysplasia

Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (RTS) is a genetic disease characterized by developmental abnormalities and poikilodermatous skin changes that appear in infancy. An association with myelodysplastic syndromes is rarely reported in RTS, even though impairment of immune function and recurrent infections are described in the literature. A case of Thomson‐type RTS in a 14‐year‐old girl with trilinear myelodysplasia is presented. The patient was kept under hematologic surveillance for myelodysplastic syndrome. Bone marrow transplantation was considered unnecessary at present.

A new surgical approach for the treatment of severe epithelial skin sun‐induced damage

Background  Cutaneous photoageing is a complex biological process affecting all layers of the skin. Skin damage resulting from intrinsic ageing and extrinsic photoageing may trigger skin cancer. In patients with advanced photoageing and/or diffuse actinic damage, local therapy is often inadequate and the possibility of combined therapy needs to be assessed.

Intraoperative skin expansion in emergency repair of the scalp.

We report the case of a road accident victim who sustained fracture of the frontal bone and extensive skin loss. Immediate repair of the skin breach was necessary to protect the set bone fragments. Intraoperative skin expansion provided an immediate gain in tissue and avoided the waiting period required with traditional expansion methods. Besides an excellent immediate functional result, acceptable aesthetic results, confirmed 6 months later, were also obtained. ( J Dermatol Treat (2001) 12: 25-28)

Two cases of juvenile pemphigus vulgaris: long‐term follow‐up

patients (2). Our patient, of necessity, spent a prolonged period with his head in the same position in the ICU because of cerebral edema. This resulted, in pressure-induced ischemic changes over the scalp occiput. Although the hair loss was perhaps minor, it is likely to be permanent and may lead to embarrassment in the future. Such alopecia is preventable by regularly moving the position of the head during and after general anesthesia or immobilization; however, regular movements may not always be practical. We believe that such hair lossmay not be uncommon, but is often unrecognized. A pertinent reason for the latter is that an occipital bald patch may remain unnoticed until long after a period of immobilization so that such an etiology may not even be considered.

Pityriasis Lichenoides Acuta

Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), or acute guttate parapsoriasis, or Mucha-Habermann disease, is the acute form of a papulosquamous cutaneous disorder, whose chronic form is also known as pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC) or chronic guttate parapsoriasis. In cases with fever, an antibiotic treatment is always useful. In children, erythromycin is the antibiotic of choice, whereas tetracycline is preferable in adults. In cases without fever with moderate cutaneous lesions, in addition to topical treatment with steroid creams, it may be appropriate to start phototherapy.