[The value of biopsy in the diagnosis of penile dermatoses]

Penile biopsy can be useful to establish an accurate diagnosis when managing male genital dermatoses. We investigated the value of genital biopsy by comparing suspected clinical diagnosis with final histologic diagnosis.

We retrospectively examined the clinical file of men with genital dermatoses undergoing genital biopsy. We collected details of age, biopsy site, suspected diagnosis after clinical examination and histologic diagnosis.

One hundred and thirty-eight male patients were enrolled in the study. Their mean age was 52 years. Most biopsies (41%) were performed on the glans. Microscopic examination failed to rule out a diagnosis in 14.5% of the cases. It confirmed the clinically suspected diagnosis in 29.7% of cases and ruled out a particular diagnosis from among several clinical hypotheses in 26.8% of cases. The histological diagnosis had not been suspected in 18.1% of cases.

Penile biopsy has an important role in the diagnosis of penile dermatoses. In our study, in 44.9% of cases, a clinically unsuspected diagnosis was identified or a differential diagnosis was resolved.