There is a group of diseases manifesting themselves as erythema nodosum-like lesions primarily on the lege. These diseases have been classified such several distinctive disease entities as erythema nodosum(EN), erythema induratum (EI), nodular
vasculitis (NV), Weber-Christian disease and Behcet's syndrome(BS), etc, on the ground of minor clinical & histopathological variations. However, they have many common clinical features which often make the differential diagnosis from one another
very
difficult or sometimes impossible even by histopathological studies. This study was performed to evaluate the correlation between clinical and histopathological findings in 66 patients with erythema nodosum-like lesions on the legs.
@ES The results obtained were as follows;
@EN 1. Among the 66 patients were 30 cases of EN (45.5%), 14 cases of BS(21.2%) comprising 12 incomplete types & 2 suspected types, 11 cases of EI(16.7%), 7 cases of NV(10.6%), each one case of polyarteritis nodosa(1.5%) & superfcial migratory
thrombophlebitis(1.5%), and 2 cases of non-specific panniculitis(3%).
2. There were 13 males(19.7%) & 53 females(80.3%) in this series with four times more common in female than in male.
3. The peak incidence of age at onset were between twenties & thirties of age in the female groups and the peat of seasonal distribution were during spring and summer.
4. Coexistant rate with tuberculosis in EI(27.3%) was rather than higher.
5. Significant pathlogic foci were mainly in subcutis and major type of panniculitis observed were:23 cases of septal type(76.7%) in EN, 8 cases of lobular type(72.7%) in EI, each 3 case of lobulr & mixed type(42.9%) and each 6 cases of septal &
mixed
type(42.9%) in NV and BS, respectively.
6. Fat necrosis were observed in 8 cases of EI(72.7%) & 4 cases of BS(28.6%) and caseation necrosis were in 6 cases of EI & one case of BS while no necrosis were found in both EN & NV.
7. Epithelioid granuloma & histiocytic granuloma were most prominent features in EN. EI, BS & NV and lipophagic granuloma were coexistant in 2 cases of EI. Touton giant cell was seen in one cases of EN.
8. Necrotizing vasculitis was not shown in EN while small & large vessels were involved both in EI & NV. In BS, smll vessels were involved in 4 cases(28.6%), which were localized in only severely areas, and necrosis & granuloms were observed in
areas
of severe vasculitis.
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