Analysis of dermoscopic patterns of longitudinal melanonychia in children

doi:10.11786/sypfbxzz.1674-1293.20160403

Abstract：Objective To summarize the dermoscopic patterns of longitudinal melanonychia in children, so as to establish a method to investigate and diagnose longitudinal melanonychia in children by dermoscopy. Methods A retrospective study of nail plate dermoscopic data of 50 pediatric patients of longitudinal melanonychia was carried out, who visited our hospital from June 2013 to september 2015, and 42 patients among them were treated by surgery and the patterns of nail matrix and bed of longitudinal melanonychia were analyzed by intraoperative dermoscopy. Results Eight cases who presented regular gray pattern were not treated, and all the other 42 cases received surgery treatment. Intraoperative dermoscopy of the nail bed and matrix in patients whose nail plate dermoscopy demonstrated regular brown bands showed a regular brown pattern in 4 cases, which were identiifed as lentigines by pathologic examination. Intraoperative dermoscopy of the nail bed and matrix in patients whose nail plate dermoscopy demonstrated regular black bands showed a regular brown pattern with globules or blotches in 7 cases. Eighteen cases demonstrated regular brown lines by nail plate dermoscopy, among which 14 cases showed regular brown pattern with globules by intraoperative dermoscopy and were identiifed as nevi by pathologic examination;four cases showed regular brown pattern by intraoperative dermoscopy and were identiifed as lentigines by pathologic examination. Thirteen cases demonstrated regular brown lines with globules by nail plate dermoscopy, which showed regular brown pattern with globules by intraoperative dermoscopy, including 12 cases were identiifed as nevi and 1 case as benign melanocytic hyperplasia by pathologic examination. Conclusions Analysis of dermoscopy patterns of longitudinal melanonychia in children by nail plate dermoscopy and intraoperative dermoscopy has a signiifcant meaning on diagnosis and follow-up of childhood longitudinal melanonychia.