Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To determine the histopathologic findings of the primary conjunctival melanoacanthoma applying the same morphological criteria used for the skin and oral mucosae melanoacanthoma. Methods: The slides of all cases with diagnosis of seborreic keratosis and their subtypes were evaluated from January, 1957 to September 2002. Cases with other type of epithelial benign lessions different from seborreic keratosis were excluded, as well as those slides with insufficient or inadequate material for diagnosis. A retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study was conducted The histopathologic features considered were the following: basal cell membrane integrity, acanthosis, basal cell hyperplasia, presence of dendritics melanocytes, hyper or parakeratosis, amount of melanin on the basal layer cells, elastotic degeneration, presence of melanophages, transition between normal and involved epithelium. Results: Of the total of 569 (41,38%) benign tumors of the conjunctiva, 39 (3,6%) belonged to the keratosis seborreic, and only three cases (0,6%) were classified as primary melanoacanthoma of the conjunctiva. Conclusion: The primary melanoacanthoma of the conjunctiva has distinctive histopathologic features and therefore it should be considered as another benign epithelial lesion in this location.
Keywords: pathology: human • conjunctiva • tumors