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Biomedical subjects

R A Schwartz

Publications and source records attributed to R A Schwartz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Vasculitis in the antiphospholipid syndrome. A cause of ischemia responding to corticosteroids.

A 63-year-old woman with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease and the lupus anticoagulant developed ischemia of the right lower extremity, requiring progressive amputations. Pathologic specimens revealed inflammatory vasculitis in multiple arteries. Her serum showed anticardiolipin antibodies in high titer. Treatment with high-dose corticosteroids reversed the ischemic process. In patients with antiphospholipid antibodies, thrombosis is the most common pathologic finding associated with cutaneous lesions and/or gangrene. Vasculitis, although uncommon, is known to occur and may respond to corticosteroid therapy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Lymphocytoma cutis: a series of five patients successfully treated with cryosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytoma cutis is a rare cutaneous eruption that may possess clinical and histologic features resembling malignant lymphoma. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to find a good method to treat patients with lymphocytoma cutis. METHODS: Five patients with lymphocytoma cutis were seen; each agreed to cryosurgery. RESULTS: In each patient the lesions responded well to cryosurgery. CONCLUSION: Cryosurgery appears to be an excellent therapeutic option for patients with lymphocytoma cutis. To our knowledge this is the first time liquid nitrogen has been used to eradicate these lesions.

Aged

Metastasis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans

Scabies.

Scabies is highly contagious and is usually transmitted by direct personal contact. It typically presents as an intensely pruritic eruption. Atypical presentations are common in Norwegian scabies and in childhood scabies. Infestation is documented by visualizing the mite, its eggs or scybala on low-power microscopy. The treatment of choice is 5 percent permethrin cream, used in a single application at bedtime and removed the next morning.

Diagnosis, Differential

Erythema multiforme.

Erythema multiforme is a cutaneous reaction pattern manifested by well-demarcated plaques on the trunk and extremities. Target, or "iris," lesions, with central clearing, are characteristic of this disorder. Erythema multiforme may be a mild condition (erythema multiforme minor), or it may be a severe, possibly life-threatening condition (erythema multiforme major or Stevens-Johnson syndrome). Toxic epidermal necrolysis, manifested by widespread epidermal desquamation, is the most severe form of this disorder. The three most common triggers for erythema multiforme are herpes simplex infection, mycoplasma infection and drug reactions. Drugs that can precipitate erythema multiforme include sulfonamides, penicillins, phenylbutazone and phenytoin. The appearance of the characteristic lesion is usually diagnostic. However, conditions such as tinea corporis, lupus erythematosus, herpetic gingivostomatitis, Behçet's disease and erosive lichen planus, among others, may mimic erythema multiforme. For mild cases, treatment is supportive, with antibiotics used for secondary skin infections. For severe causes, many physicians use systemic corticosteroids, although this treatment is not universally endorsed.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Erythema nodosum.

Erythema nodosum represents an inflammatory process in the septa between the subcutaneous fat lobules. The hallmark lesions are exquisitely tender, erythematous nodules that are distributed symmetrically on the extensor surfaces of the lower extremities. Erythema nodosum is considered an immunologic response, and a wide variety of clinically important antigens have been implicated. It may serve as a cutaneous marker for systemic diseases, such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease and lymphoma. The disease is diagnosed by deep elliptical biopsy and pathologic evaluation. The natural history is resolution with treatment of the underlying disorder or spontaneous regression of idiopathic disease.

Diagnosis, Differential

Pruritus.

Pruritus is an important sign of localized or systemic disease and sometimes may be the only symptom of potentially fatal illness. Localized causes of pruritus include stasis dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, neurodermatitis and scabies. Generalized pruritus may be caused by environmental factors such as low humidity, skin diseases such as urticaria, or internal diseases such as biliary obstruction, renal failure, hematologic malignancy or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Therapy for pruritus depends on identification and treatment of the underlying cause. If no specific etiology is found, therapy is palliative. Avoidance of frequent bathing may be helpful, especially when xerosis plays a role. Topical emollients or short-term therapy with low-potency steroids may also be effective. Oral antihistamines provide nonspecific relief for many patients with intractable pruritus.

Baths

Therapeutic options for erythroderma.

In this work we will discuss some of the dilemmas and therapeutic options in the treatment of patients with erythroderma. We will mention treatment modalities for psoriatic erythroderma and review briefly one illustrative case in which a new experimental approach was utilized.

Adult

Color Doppler ultrasound imaging in iatrogenic arterial injuries.

Pulsatile masses following arterial puncture for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures may represent false aneurysms or noncommunicating periarterial hematomas with transmitted arterial pulsation. Color Doppler ultrasound imaging was used in 27 patients with pulsatile groin masses. Of these 27 patients, 23 were diagnosed as having pseudoaneurysms and 5 as having periarterial hematomas. The pseudoaneurysms were confirmed at surgical exploration, and the periarterial hematomas were all observed longitudinally with spontaneous resolution. With a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 100% in this clinical study, color Doppler ultrasound imaging appears to be the diagnostic modality of choice for detecting false aneurysms following transarterial procedures, obviating the need for additional invasive diagnostic procedures.

Aneurysm

Bowenoid papulosis.

Bowenoid papulosis is an uncommon genital dysplasia induced by human papillomavirus infection. Clinically, it usually resembles persistent warts, but histologically it may be suggestive of squamous cell carcinoma in situ. This unusual disorder and recent advances in our understanding of it are reviewed.

Bowen's Disease

Detection of anti-basement membrane zone antibodies in bullous systemic lupus erythematosus.

We describe a 42-year-old black woman with long-standing systemic lupus erythematosus in whom vesiculobullous lesions developed. Routine histologic and immunologic studies fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of bullous systemic lupus erythematosus. Indirect immunofluorescence showed antinuclear antibodies without basement membrane zone fluorescence. We destroyed the nuclear antigens of the indirect immunofluorescence substrate with 2 mol/L sodium chloride, which unmasked basement membrane zone linear IgG staining. We also confirmed anti-basement membrane zone antibodies by employing a new technique of direct immunofluorescence on sodium chloride-split skin. Our finding prove that a thorough search for anti-basement membrane zone antibodies can be revealing. Our results support the idea that a subset of bullous systemic lupus erythematosus has the staining characteristics of epidermolysis acquisita, with the dermal side of the split skin showing linear immunoglobulin deposition.

Adult

Florid cutaneous papillomatosis, malignant acanthosis nigricans, and pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma.

A 72-year-old man had florid cutaneous papillomatosis (FCP), which is an obligatory paraneoplastic syndrome always associated with an internal malignancy. The cancer, which is usually intraabdominal and most often gastric in origin, evolves parallel to the FCP. This patient is the first case of FCP occurring in association with a lung malignancy. An association of FCP with other signs of internal cancer is common, with malignant acanthosis nigricans usually appearing many times with the sign of Leser-Trélat. FCP, malignant acanthosis nigricans, and the sign of Leser-Trélat are part of a continuum, developing by a common or similar pathogenic pathway due to an underlying malignancy producing a factor possibly similar to human epidermal growth factor.

Acanthosis Nigricans

The treatment of atypical lipoma with liposuction.

Large lipomas may best be treated with liposuction. Once a lipoma enlarges to 4 cm or more, liposuction has several advantages over conventional surgery. A well-demarcated lipoma 15 cm in diameter and deep to muscle was treated by liposuction. Biopsy showed an atypical lipoma. Because the entire tumor was removed by liposuction, we feel that the prognosis is excellent. The cosmesis and morbidity results were far superior to those anticipated with conventional excisional surgery. Small superficial lipomas may be treated by suction lipectomy and the surrounding area can be contoured symmetrically at the same time, whereas large ones can be liposuctioned completely without extensive surgical extirpation and morbidity. Because such big lesions may represent atypical lipomas or liposarcomas, care must be taken to remove the entire tumor.

Adult

Erythroderma as the initial presentation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

A 32-year-old black homosexual man, seronegative for human immunodeficiency virus antibody, presented with erythroderma. His peripheral blood was significant for circulating Sézary-like cells bearing the CD8(+) phenotype. Eighty-eight percent of his lymphocytes were CD8(+) as well. He seroconverted 3 months after the initial presentation. We conclude that erythroderma was the presenting sign of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Verrucous carcinoma of a leg amputation stump.

Verrucous carcinoma of the skin is a rare cancer which tends to appear on the soles of the feet, although it can appear elsewhere on the cutaneous surface. It has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported on a leg amputation stump.

Aged

Sign of Leser-Trélat with a metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma.

We describe a middle-aged woman with the sudden onset of multiple seborrheic keratoses in association with a metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma to the liver from an unknown primary neoplasm. This case illustrates the significance of the sign of Leser-Trélat and its association with cancer.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous