Lesional Morphology and Assessment


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Lesional Morphology and Assessment



Albert C. Yan, Ho Jin Kim, Paul J. Honig



Introduction


Newborn infant skin can manifest with an extraordinary array of conditions. Neonatal cutaneous findings may indicate transitory, benign processes such as erythema toxicum neonatorum, or may represent important harbingers of internal disease or genetic alteration, as might be observed in patients with herpes simplex virus infection or incontinentia pigmenti. Dermatologic manifestations are readily visible to the clinician, and it is often more efficient to first assess lesional morphology and then focus history-taking on the basis of the observed clinical findings. The timely identification and accurate diagnosis of skin findings in the newborn infant therefore relies on combining a comprehensive history with a meticulous physical examination, as well as on a proper understanding of physiologic differences between neonatal, pediatric, and adult skin that will influence both the diagnosis and the management of skin conditions appropriate to the neonate. This chapter reviews the principles of morphologic assessment in the term and preterm infant.


Apr 27, 2016 | Posted by in Dermatology | Comments Off on Lesional Morphology and Assessment

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