Contiguous cutaneous inflammation

BACKGROUND: Contiguous cutaneous inflammation is a circumscribed inflammatory reaction of the skin overlying a pathological process affecting an adjacent deep-seated anatomical structure. Contiguous cutaneous inflammation can sometimes reveal serious internal diseases. Through a case report and a literature review, we characterize the concept of contiguous cutaneous inflammation. CASE REPORT: A 77-year-old woman with a past medical history of rhinorrhoea and chronic headache was admitted for a verrucous and erythematous lesion on her right cheek, evolving for two months with incomplete remission after numerous antibiotics. Histopathological examination was inconclusive. Facial CT revealed pansinusitis. Diagnosis of contiguous cutaneous inflammation to sinusitis was retained. Complete healing of cutaneous lesions was observed after surgical treatment of the sinusitis. DISCUSSION: Contiguous cutaneous inflammation is characterized by localization over the causal disease, parallel evolution with the latter and the absence of clinicopathological specificity. The underlying pathological process is variable and may be tumoral or infectious, or simply the presence of an internal device. Migration of inflammatory cells and/or diffusion of mediators in a localized skin area could be involved in pathogenesis.