Acanthoma fissuratum, also known as granuloma fissuratum is a cutaneous condition characterized by local thickening of the skin in response to pressure caused by an eyeglass frame.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. . Acanthoma fissuratum is a hard, folded, flesh-colored lesion or plaque with a central groove. It affects the ear and is common in people wearing poorly fitting spectacle frames. It can also affect other locations like the penis, outer auditory canal, and posterior forchette of the vulva.

Signs and symptoms

In its classic form, it manifests as a single, hard, folded coin-shaped lesion, flesh-colored papule, nodule, or plaque that has a central groove that splits it in half (a look similar to a coffee bean). The retroauricular sulcus, superior auricular sulcus, and the lateral portion of the nose bridge at the inner canthus are common sites for acanthoma fissuratum affecting the ear when it occurs in people wearing poorly fitting spectacle frames. Nonetheless, there have also been reports of involvement at other locations, including the penis, outer auditory canal, and posterior forchette of the vulva.

Causes

The lesions develop as a result of various factors, including improperly fitting eyeglass frames, the weight of the spectacles, concurrent skin diseases, and deformities in the anatomy.

Diagnosis

Acanthosis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water relea ...

, hyperkeratosis, and varied parakeratosis are seen in the histopathology. The longitudinal groove, which is matched by central attenuation in the

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water rele ...

, may be filled with keratinous debris or inflammatory cells. Variable perivascular nonspecific chronic inflammatory infiltration is seen in the

dermis The dermis or corium is a layer of skin between the epidermis (with which it makes up the cutis) and subcutaneous tissues, that primarily consists of dense irregular connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. It is divided i ...

Treatment

The mainstay of treatment for acanthoma fissuratum consists of removing the persistently irritating stimuli, which typically causes the lesion to reverse. In severe situations, further techniques like electrosurgery, intralesional

corticosteroids Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex of vertebrates, as well as the synthetic analogues of these hormones. Two main classes of corticosteroids, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, are involve ...

, and surgical excision may be employed.

References

External links

DermNet

VisualDx
{{Skin tumors, epidermis Epidermal nevi, neoplasms, and cysts