Solitary acral persistent papular mucinosis nodule: A case report and summary of eight Korean cases

BACKGROUND: Acral persistent papular mucinosis (APPM) is a rare idiopathic subtype of localized lichen myxedematosus. To date, there have been 40 APPM cases reported worldwide; however, only 7 cases have been reported in the Korean literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 70-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a solitary pinkish nodule on the dorsum of his right hand. Despite the absence of symptoms, the patient wanted to know the exact diagnosis; thus, a biopsy was performed. Histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen obtained from the nodule on the dorsum of his hand revealed orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with patchy parakeratosis, prominent hypergranulosis, and diffuse dissecting mucinous deposition between collagen bundles, along with some bland-looking spindle cells throughout the dermis. The nodule was histologically diagnosed as an APPM, and an intralesional triamcinolone injection (2.5 mg/mL) was started every 2 wk. After three sessions of treatment, the patient showed marked improvements. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a Korean APPM presenting as a solitary nodule that showed a marked response to triamcinolone intralesional injection. Since it is a rare disease, we report this case to contribute to future research on the pathogenesis and treatment of APPM.