Perforating Granuloma Annulare - An Unusual Subtype of a Common Disease

Perforating granuloma annulare (GA) is a rare subset of GA with an unknown etiology and chronic course. Herein, we report the case of 72 year-old women with a 3-month history of a post-traumatic, persistent, erythematous and exudative plaque located on her left leg. Differential diagnosis included mycobacterial infection, subcutaneous mycosis, perforating dermatoses, pyoderma and squamous cell carcinoma. The histopathology was highly suggestive of a perforating GA. The patient was treated with betamethasone dipropionate cream applied once daily and a complete resolution of the lesion was observed in three weeks. Despite being a very rare subtype of a common disease, perforating granuloma annulare has clinical and histopathological characteristic features that facilitate the differential diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary procedures and inadequate and potentially more invasive treatments.