Pseudoatrophoderma Colli Clinical Presentation

  • Author: Anna Choczaj-Kukula, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 25, 2012
 

History

  • The atrophic-appearing macules and plaques usually appear insidiously and asymptomatically on the back of the neck.
  • The appearance of the initial lesions, which tend to be hypopigmented and depressed, may resemble vitiligo.
  • The eruption slowly encircles the neck and gradually spreads to the scapular and chest region, involving the intermammary area. In some instances, pseudoatrophic plaques continue to spread over the trunk and occasionally appear in other regions, such as the buttocks, the arms, and the lower part of the abdomen.
  • The disease tends to spread gradually with partial regression and intervals, persisting for years or decades.
  • Spontaneous regression has been described in 1 patient.
  • Usually asymptomatic, it occasionally causes mild pruritus.
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Physical

  • Individual atrophic-appearing plaques and macules are 3-7 mm in diameter, oval or irregular, white or pink, and some coalesce in arcuate patches.
  • The surface of the plaques may be shiny or wrinkled and may show some scaling.
  • The lesions may form a dappled pattern of hypopigmented and hyperpigmented areas.
  • The eruption is ill defined, and the pseudoatrophic plaques tend to be arranged in a vertical direction.
  • The pseudoatrophic plaques are most often situated on the neck and the upper part of the thorax.
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Causes

The cause of the condition is unknown.

  • Vitamin A deficiency has been believed to be a possible factor contributing to the cause of pseudoatrophoderma colli.
  • Some authors previously regarded it as a form of parapsoriasis or an epidermal nevus.
  • Pseudoatrophoderma colli was also considered a variant of papillomatosis of Gougerot and Carteaud.
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Proceed to Differential Diagnoses
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Anna Choczaj-Kukula, MD, PhD  Locum Consultant Dermatologist, Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust; Honorary Clinical Research Fellow, Royal Free Hospital, UK

Anna Choczaj-Kukula, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, British Association of Dermatologists, European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, and Royal Society of Medicine

Disclosure: Johnson & Johnson Salary Management position

Coauthor(s)

Camila K Janniger, MD  Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of Pediatric Dermatology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School

Camila K Janniger, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD  Director, Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York

Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

David F Butler, MD Professor of Dermatology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine; Chair, Department of Dermatology, Director, Dermatology Residency Training Program, Scott and White Clinic

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Glen H Crawford, MD Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Chief, Division of Dermatology, The Pennsylvania Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH Professor and Head, Dermatology, Professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Albert C Yan, MD Section Chief, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Dermatology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

  1. Becker SW, Muir KB. Pseudo-atrophoderma colli: A hitherto undescribed condition. Arch Dermatol Syphilol. 1934;29:53-6.

  2. Ayres S Jr, Ayres S 3rd. Pseudoatrophoderma colli. Arch Dermatol. 1955;71:763-4.

  3. Obermayer ME, Becker SW. Pseudoatrophoderma colli. Arch Dermatol. 1955;72:281-2.

  4. Palomeque FE, Hairston MA Jr. Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis of Gougerot and Carteaud. Arch Dermatol. Jul 1965;92(1):49-51. [Medline].

  5. Frost K, Epstein E. Pseudoatrophoderma colli in sisters. Arch Dermatol Syphilol. 1939;40:755-61.

  6. Kauh YC, Knepp ME, Luscombe HA. Pseudoatrophoderma colli. A familial case. Arch Dermatol. Oct 1980;116(10):1181-2. [Medline].

  7. Kanan MW, Kandil E. Pseudoatrophoderma colli in a male. Br J Dermatol. Jan 1969;81(1):65-8. [Medline].

  8. Kesten BM, James HD. Pseudoatrophoderma colli, acanthosis nigricans, and confluent and reticular papillomatosis. AMA Arch Derm. Apr 1957;75(4):525-42. [Medline].

 
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