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Tsuruta D. Comment: Lipomembranous changes (membrano-cystic lesions) in the extremities of a patient with systemic sclerosis. 2018;9(1):107-107.

Comment: Lipomembranous changes (membrano-cystic lesions) in the extremities of a patient with systemic sclerosis by Natsuko Matsumura, Toshiyuki Yamamoto

author: Dr. Daisuke Tsuruta PhD, E-mail: dts211@gmail.com

Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, and Kurume University Institute of Cutaneous Cell Biology, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan

Submission: 05.06.2017; Acceptance: 10.06.2017

The paper described a possibly rare manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc). First of all, skin biopsy for SSc is often problematic and challenging, because of the fear of failure in wound closure. This is known to be caused by vasculature paucity. So, especially for internists, they hesitate to do biopsy. Lipomembranaous changes (LMC) are rarely reported in SSc. LMC are also reported in morphea. Both SSc and morphea mimic each other for skin manifestations, but they are known to be different from the pathomechanical point of view. So, although the pathomechanism of LMC is still unknown, I speculate that LMC may be come from fibrosis commonly found in both SSc and morphea. Further accumulation of cases will elucidate the true pathomechanism of LMC.