Iatrogenic Anetoderma of Prematurity: A Series of 5 Clinical Cases and Literature Review

Iatrogenic anetoderma of prematurity (IAOP) represents a benign iatrogenic dermatosis characterized by focal, well-demarcated areas of atrophic skin in preterm infants. We present the cases of 5 infants diagnosed with IAOP during a 3-year period in a tertiary-care university hospital. Skin atrophy patches were absent at birth in all presented infants, and there was no family history of anetoderma. All of the infants were born with very low gestation and birth weight, with a clinical course that was complicated with several serious prematurity-related complications with consequent long periods of unstable vital functions and the need for continuous monitoring. Skin defects consistent with IAOP were located on the previous ECG electrode sites. IAOP changes in all the infants were in the form of oval patches of skin atrophy in the middle chest region, with an additional few small, round patches bellow the nipple on both sides in one girl. Diagnosis of IAOP was based on characteristic clinical findings. IAOP is rare, benign, but permanent skin injury in the most immature of infants, with a potential for considerable aesthetic and psychological burden. Due to the constant increase in survival of very and extremely preterm infants, more often without major developmental consequences, milder complications like IAOP will become more and more important.