A 5-month-old boy had erythematous nodules over the left side of his trunk with a segmental arrangement since birth. Histopathologic examination revealed sheets of foamy histiocytes infiltrating the dermis and subcutaneous fat, admixed with multinucleated giant cells and lymphocytes, making this an unusual case of juvenile xanthogranuloma appearing in a segmental distribution.
Juvenile xanthogranuloma is a benign cutaneous growth presenting as papules or nodules. It is characterized by an intradermal collection of lipid-laden macrophages and varying degrees of fibroblastic proliferation. We have recently observed two patients with xanthogranulomas: one was found to have a papular type and the second patient had multiple nodular growths. We present these cases, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of skin nodules.