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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Dermoscopy Aids in the Diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Published on: May 16, 2025
Diffuse dermal angiomatosis
Bradley K Draper1, Alan S Boyd
1Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. draperclan@juno.com
Abstract:
Diffuse dermal angiomatosis (DDA) is an acquired, benign vascular proliferation characterized clinically by poorly circumscribed, violaceous, livedoid plaques with frequent ulceration. Histologically, a diffuse interstitial proliferation of CD31-positive endothelial cells is present within the papillary and reticular dermis. Endothelial atypia, atypical mitoses, and vasculitis are lacking. We describe a case of DDA in a 53-year-old man with peripheral vascular atherosclerosis that resolved following revascularization. Early correction of the associated ischemic peripheral vascular disease promotes resolution of this unusual clinicopathologic entity.
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