Vulvar pyoderma gangrenosum

Abstract

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an idiopathic dermatologic disease manifested by painful cutaneous ulceration. The ulcers are characterized by their undermined, violaceous borders and necrotic tissue at the ulcer base. The lesions may have an unusual response to physical manipulation known as pathergy, a phenomenon that is manifested by rapid progression following debridement. Pyoderma gangrenosum is frequently associated with systemic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic active hepatitis and hematologic malignancies. Conservative wound care and systemic corticosteroids are usually effective therapy. We report the second case in the gynecologic literature of a patient with vulvar pyoderma gangrenosum.