Abstract
Current use of the term “geometric phagedenism” will result in confusion, unless the term is defined in relation to its word origin and historical meaning to dermatologists. In 1908, Louis Brocq used this term to refer to a series of patients with rapidly extending, destructive ulcers, often with circular, elliptical, or geometric edges. Using the term phagedenism (phageton [Greek] means consumption) emphasizes the destructive nature, the “consuming” of surrounding tissue. Brocq also included elegant descriptions and trends in morphology of ulcers, including the gradually sloping infiltrated and erythematous area external to the “ridge” (border of the active ulcer), the sharp, often undermined internal edge “dimpled by purulent cavities.” Histopathology was noted to include a heavy neutrophilic infiltrate with extensive necrosis, and Brocq correctly noted the lack of transmissibility.
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Crowe, D.R. (2016). Pyoderma Gangrenosum. In: Crowe, D., Morgan, M., Somach, S., Trapp, K. (eds) Deadly Dermatologic Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31566-9_24
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