Serial excision surgery for giant dorsal congenital melanocytic nevus: Case report

Giant congenital melanocytic nevus increases the risk of melanoma and seriously affects the aesthetics and psychology of patients, influencing the personality development of children.

A 7-year-old female child presented with a giant congenital melanocytic nevus on the back, which extended from the right anterior abdominal wall to the left flank Taking advantage of the elasticity of children's skin, we performed serial excision and obtained favourable results. The procedure included seven surgeries, and the average interval between the surgeries was 7 months. The nevus was partially resected from the periphery to the centre, and the direction of excision of the nevus depended on the mobilisation of the surrounding normal skin, including from the shoulder downward, lateral to medial, and from the bottom upward. After the seventh surgery at 11 years of age, the nevus was completely removed, and there were no complications.

Serial excision is a simple and less invasive surgical technique that can achieve both complete excision and a satisfactory aesthetic result for giant congenital melanocytic nevus. The giant nevus of the back can be removed completely after several procedures due to the very good elasticity of the skin and the great ability of natural expansion of healthy skin under a considerable stretching force in children.

Serial excision is an effective method for treating dorsal giant congenital melanocytic nevus in children because of excellent natural skin elasticity.