[Skeletal changes caused by etretinate]

A patient of 4 years of age, male is presented, that suffered from generalized pustulous psoriasis. The small response to prednisone and the aggravation of the symptomatology motivated the use of etretinate, in the dose of 1 mg/kg/day during six months obtaining the remission. Two years later he was seen again having minimal lesions of periumbilical psoriasis, observing delay in the growth, and in the radiological exam: periostic separation in the inferior part of femur, modeling alteration of the metaphysis, diffuse demineralization, slender bone, and a bone age of one and a half year. The authors advise over the necessity of controlling children that must receive etretinate, with clinic and periodic radiological exams.