Treatment of fibroelastolytic papulosis with fractionated carbon dioxide laser.

Fibroelastolytic papulosis (FEP) is an acquired elastic tissue disorder that presents as white-to-yellow papules and plaques usually occurring on the neck. Although the lesions are often asymptomatic, their appearance may be distressing to patients. FEP has been treated with topical tretinoin in one case report ( 1 ). Other reports have not mentioned treatment for this rare disorder ( 1-6 ). We present a case of FEP successfully treated with a fractionated carbon dioxide (CO2) laser.

Cutaneous mucormycosis: a case report.

Cutaneous mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection. It usually is benign in immunocompetent patients, but it can lead to devastating consequences in immunocompromised patients. Immediate diagnosis and treatment are crucial in preventing fatality. We describe a case of cutaneous mucormycosis in a man with a history of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in an effort to raise diagnostic suspicion of this life-threatening infection and prevent a fatal outcome.

Cutaneous conditions leading to dermatology consultations in the emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: We established the most common cutaneous diseases that received dermatology consultation in the adult emergency department (ED) and identified differentiating clinical characteristics of dermatoses that required hospital admission. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 204 patients presenting to the ED who received dermatology consultations at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, an urban tertiary care teaching hospital. RESULTS: Of all patients, 18% were admitted to an inpatient unit primarily for their cutaneous disease, whereas 82% were not. Of nonadmitted patients, the most commonly diagnosed conditions were eczematous dermatitis not otherwise specified (8.9%), scabies (7.2%), contact dermatitis (6.6%), cutaneous drug eruption (6.0%), psoriasis vulgaris (4.2%), and basal cell carcinoma (3.6%). Of patients admitted for their dermatoses, the most highly prevalent conditions were erythema multiforme major/Stevens-Johnson syndrome (22%), pemphigus vulgaris (14%), and severe cutaneous drug eruption (11%). When compared with those of nonadmitted patients, admitted skin conditions were more likely to be generalized (92% vs 72%; P = 0.0104), acute in onset (<1 month duration) (81% vs 51%; P = 0.0005), painful (41% vs 15%; P = 0.0009), blistering (41% vs 7.8%; P < 0.0001), and ulcerated or eroded (46% vs 7.8%; P < 0.0001). They were more likely to involve the mucosa (54% vs 7.2%; P < 0.0001) and less likely to be pruritic (35% vs 58%; P = 0.0169). CONCLUSION: We have described a cohort of patients receiving dermatologic consultation in the ED of a large urban teaching hospital. These data identify high-risk features of more severe skin disease and may be used to refine curricula in both emergency and nonemergency cutaneous disorders for emergency physicians.