Histopathologic correlates of clinically verrucous lesions

Introduction: Verrucous lesions present as cauliflower like, slowly growing masses, which may be single, multiple or diffuse involving the broad areas of skin or mucosal surfaces. Clinically these lesions are diagnostic challenges. Histopathology remains the gold standard in diagnosing this diverse group of verrucous lesions. The aim of this study was to understand the microscopy of clinically verrucous lesions. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective data of clinically verrucous lesions over the past five years. Clinical details were obtained from the archives and diagnosis was noted from the pathology records. A total of 116 clinically verrucous lesions were included. Results: Majority of the cases were Verruca vulgaris (37 cases), followed by 33 cases of Seborrheic keratosis. There were 12 cases of verrucous carcinoma, seven cases of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis, six cases of verrucous nevus and one case of verrucous hemangioma. The other cases were of varied histology, inspite of clinically verrucous appearance. All the cases were diagnosed purely based on histopathology findings, which show characteristic morphological features, which help the pathologist in the correct diagnosis. Conclusions: Histopathologic confirmation helps in alleviating the anxiety of the patients and helps us to arrive at a correct diagnosis.