Congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis - an important diagnostic challenge

To present current and new knowledge on congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis, a benign variant of cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting with skin lesions in the neonatal period.

We describe and photo document two cases of this rare disease and review the literature.

Only few newborns have acute access to a neonatal dermatologist, and we demonstrate how the spontaneous cutaneous involution may happen even prior to the first dermatological assessment. As no sole criterion can reliably distinguish the self-healing form from disseminated disease, multidisciplinary assessment and follow-up are essential.

Our data document how easily the diagnosis congenital self-healing reticulocytosis may be missed and emphasize the importance and value of instant clinical photographing at the neonatal unit and the use of teledermatology whenever congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis is suspected.