Synonyms
Balanitis plasmacellularis circumscriptum; Plasmacytosis mucosae
Definition
Penile inflammatory condition characterized by prominent plasma cell infiltrate.
Clinical Features
It is an indolent and asymptomatic dermatosis of adult uncircumcised males.
The disease presents with well-demarcated, bright red, or brown patches localized on the glans and prepuce.
It is a chronic reactive disease of unknown etiology. Some authors support Zoon’s balanitis as a variant of lichen planus.
Microscopy
The epidermis displays atrophy with absence of granular and horny layers, variable dyskeratosis and spongiosis, and diamond-shaped basal keratinocytes. Scattered neutrophils and even eosinophils may be found in the upper layers of epidermis. Some authorities require up to >50% of plasma cell infiltrate for diagnosis; <25% infiltrate is considered non-specific.
The dermis is characterized by vascular proliferation and dilated vessels. Moreover a variable plasma cell infiltrate is present in a...
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References and Further Reading
Calonje, E. (2011). Mckee’s pathology of the skin. Philadelphia: Elsevier.
Pastar, Z., J, R., Lipozencić, J., Skerlev, M., & Loncarić, D. (2004). Zoon plasma cell balanitis: An overview and role of histopathology. Acta dermatovenerologica Croatica: ADC, 12(4), 268–273.
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Fattorini, C., Lopez-Beltran, A., Raspollini, M.R. (2020). Penile Dermatosis, Zoon’s Balanitis. In: Raspollini, M.R., Lopez-Beltran, A. (eds) Uropathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_5031
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_5031
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