Granuloma Faciale – A Difficult Diagnosis? – A Case Report / Facijalni granulom – da li ga je teško dijagnostikovati? – Prikaz slučaja

Granuloma faciale is an uncommon inflammatory skin disorder clinically characterized by single or multiple, reddishbrown nodules or plaques primarily occurring on the face of middle-aged men. Occasionally, extra-facial involvement has been reported, usually on sun-exposed areas. Although the etiology is somewhat unclear, granuloma faciale is considered a localized form of chronic leukocytoclastic vasculitis with a prominent eosinophilic infiltrate and fibrosis in the later stages of the disease. Histological examination of lesions reveals a dense polymorphous inflammatory infiltrate that consists mainly of eosinophils and neutrophils separated from the epidermis by a narrow band zone with normal collagen, deprived of cells. Leukocytoclastic vasculitis is often seen. Clinical diagnosis is suspected in few cases, so definite diagnosis of granuloma faciale requires a biopsy. The disease is notoriously resistant to many therapies and often tends to relapse after treatment is discontinued.

We present a female patient with granuloma faciale on the back and on the tip of the nose, misdiagnosed clinically as basall cell carcinoma and granuloma annulare. Her original histological diagnosis, made by a pathologist, was pyogenic granuloma. After revision of histologic findings of the biopsy specimens, granuloma faciale was diagnosed by a dermatopathologist. The treatment with cryotherapy and topical steroids was unsuccessful. Improvement of lesions was observed after use of tacrolimus 0.1% ointment, but lesion recurred after discontinuation of treatment.