Histopathological spectrum of dermatological lesions – An experience at tertiary care centre

Introduction: Skin is the largest sensory organ of the body and acts as a barrier against various harmful environmental agents. Thus it is involved in wide spectrum of disorders ranging from inflammatory conditions to neoplastic lesions. Skin biopsy followed by histopathological study is needed for accurate diagnosis, identifying etiological agent with special stains wherever feasible, and to help clinicians to decide the appropriate management. But for instance, only few statistical studies have been carried out in southern India. Thus, the present study was carried out with an aim of describing the histopathological spectrum of all the skin lesions in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The present study is a retrospective study carried out in the Department of Pathology, BLDE. (Deemed to be) University, Shri B.M. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapura, Karnataka. All the skin biopsies received in histopathology section from October 2015 to September 2017 were reviewed from the archives of the department. Results: Out of 286 skin biopsies with histopathological diagnosis, majority of the cases were belonging to group V- granulomatous lesions (154 cases), followed by group III (46 cases), group IV (27 cases) and group VI (27 cases), group VII (16 cases), group II (12 cases) and group VIII (4 cases). Conclusion: Dermatological lesions are heterogeneous with wide age distribution, clinical and histopathological spectrum. Histopathological examination of the skin biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis which can be supported with the other techniques to confirm the diagnosis.