Preliminary evaluation of in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy features of neonatal lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is a rare autoimmune disease,which need to distinguish from eczema, congenital syphilis, and tinea corporis in newborns. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) could be a helpful noninvasive diagnostic tool,which has been used to evaluate several inflammatory skin conditions. The aim of this study was to describe the RCM characteristics of NLE.

METHODS: 9 NLE patients were included in the study,all patients were evaluated clinically with RCM.And we also evaluated RCM images from 9 eczema patients as controls.

RESULTS: Some major key diagnostic features of NLE can be observed by RCM, an enlarged honeycomb pattern (7/9, 78%), round-to-oval cyst-like structures were present (6/9, 67%),the normal ring-like structures were totally or partially obliterated (9/9, 100%)at the level of the dermo-epidermal junction,medium refractivity coarse fibrous material that was disorganized (8/9, 89%),numerous high refractivity round cells with (9/9, 100%) in the dermis.

CONCLUSION: RCM allows the visualization of major key diagnostic features of NLE and as a complementary diagnostic tool for NLE.