Sonographic Characteristics of Leiomyomatous Tumors of Skin and Nail—A Case Series

Abstract

Introduction - The clinical appearance of the uncommon cutaneous leiomyomatous tumors (LMT) is nonspecific, leading to an extensive differential diagnosis. A non-invasive tool such as high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) is required for characterizing LMTs in the clinical setting. Although the sonographic features of their uterine counterpart had been well reported, there are only scant reports on the use of ultrasound (US) for studying leiomyomatous neoplasms of the skin and nail. Objectives and methods – We Characterized common sonographic features of LMT using HFUS in three patients, two of them with multiple cutaneous leiomyomas and another with a subungual leiomyosarcoma. Results – In all cases, several shared ultrasound (US) characteristics were found. Moreover, we describe a new ultrasonographic sign in cutaneous leiomyomas called the “pine tree” sign, with other features not previously reported. Conclusion - These ultrasonographic characteristics would strengthen the clinical diagnosis, assist with treatment management, and may help avoid serial biopsies in cases with multiple cutaneous lesions.

Keywords

• leiomyoma cutis; nail leiomyosarcoma; cutaneous leiomyoma ultrasound; leiomyosarcoma nail ultrasound; dermatologic ultrasound; nail ultrasound