Dermatopathology

Verruca Plana

Verruca plana or flat warts frequently present on the hands or face as flat papules with a smooth surface. They are associated with HPV 2, 3 and 10. Histologically, they are characterized by acanthosis, orthokeratosis, hypergranulosis and mild to minimal papillomatosis.

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Slide 1: 70 year-old man with a pretibial lesion. The biopsy shows an acanthotic epidermis. The granular cell layer is quite striking. There is an exaggerated basket-weave pattern of keratinization.

Slide 2: There are perinuclear halos with condensation of keratohyaline granules. The findings are those of a verruca plana.