%0 Journal Article
%T Preliminary Evaluation of in vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy Features of Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus.
%A Wang Y
%A Chen L
%A Qin B
%A Gao X
%A Li Q
%J Dermatology
%V 240
%N 2
%D 2024 Jan 16
%M 38228120
%F 5.197
%R 10.1159/000536130
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is a rare autoimmune disease, which needs to be distinguished 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.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Eleven NLE patients were included in the study, and all patients were evaluated clinically with RCM. We also evaluated RCM images from 11 eczema patients as controls.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Some major key diagnostic features of NLE can be observed by RCM: an enlarged honeycomb pattern (9/11, 81.8%), round-to-oval cyst-like structures were present (6/11, 54.5%), the normal ring-like structures were totally or partially obliterated (11/11, 100%) at the level of the dermo-epidermal junction, medium refractivity collagen fibers that were disorganized (10/11, 90.9%), numerous high refractivity round cells (11/11, 100%) in the dermis.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>RCM allows the visualization of major key diagnostic features of NLE and serves as a complementary diagnostic tool for NLE.