Infantile digital fibromatosis pathology

Introduction

Infantile digital fibroma, also called inclusion body fibromatosis or Reye tumour, is a benign proliferation of myofibroblasts.

Histology of infantile digital fibromatosis

In infantile digital fibromatosis, sections show an intradermal unencapsulated tumour composed of spindle-shaped cells arranged in whorls or interdigitating sheets (figure 1). These myofibroblasts contain 3–10 μm inclusion bodies, which are round or ovoid and granular (figures 2-4, arrows are used to highlight some of the inclusion bodies in figure 2).

Earlier lesions of infantile digital fibromatosis are more inflammatory; more developed lesions display more fibroplasia and inclusion bodies.

Figure 1 

Figure 2 

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Figure 4 

Special studies for infantile digital fibromatosis

The inclusion bodies stain pink with H&E (figures 2-4). The bodies are positive with immunohistochemical stains for actin and vimentin.

Differential diagnosis of infantile digital fibromatosis pathology

Fibromatosis – Identification of the characteristic inclusion bodies distinguish infantile digital fibromatosis from dermal fibromatosis and hypertrophic dermal scars