Localized vs generalized pyogenic granuloma. A clinicopathologic study.

We herein report the unusual case of a previously healthy young man who had spontaneous development of multiple lobular capillary hemangiomata disseminated over the integument. Based on the observation that the single lesions exhibited (immuno)pathologic and ultrastructural features similar, if not identical, to those of late-stage pyogenic granulomas, we propose to nosologically include our patient's eruption within the disease spectrum of pyogenic granuloma. As opposed to the occurrence of localized forms of pyogenic granuloma, the disseminated eruption seen in our patient and in other patients whose cases are reported in the literature cannot be ascribed to physical trauma. As some of these latter patients suffered from an underlying malignant neoplasm, it is tempting to speculate that both exogenous (eg, trauma) and endogenous (eg, tumor cells) factors can lead to the release of mediators promoting the development of these vascular neoplasms.