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Making the Diagnosis of Myositis: Skin Biopsy and Interpretation

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Managing Myositis

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Abstract

Skin biopsy can be a valuable tool in the assessment of the cutaneous lesions of dermatomyositis (DM) and serves to distinguish it from other skin diseases that mimic dermatomyositis. The characteristic histologic findings include vacuolar dermatitis, a pattern seen across a spectrum of cutaneous disorders, including lupus erythematosus. Thus, a diagnosis of dermatomyositis is difficult to make on histopathology alone as the entire clinical picture must be carefully considered. Direct immunofluorescence can provide limited additional information, and additional special stains including immunostains are not necessary. Clinical-pathologic correlation remains the gold-standard criterion for diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Inbal Sander

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  1. Inbal Sander
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Correspondence to Inbal Sander .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Rohit Aggarwal

  2. Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Chester V. Oddis

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Sander, I. (2020). Making the Diagnosis of Myositis: Skin Biopsy and Interpretation . In: Aggarwal, R., Oddis, C. (eds) Managing Myositis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15820-0_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15820-0_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-15820-0

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