title: Periumbilical perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum.
abstract: Periumbilical pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) with transepidermal elimination of altered elastica presented a distinctive clinical pattern in six middle-aged, multiparous women. Other sites usually affected in PXE were spared. The possible genetic predisposition to PXE of these patients found its expression in the periumbilical skin, a site exposed to the trauma of multiple pregnancies. The extruded elastica had tinctorial properties that were characteristic of PXE. The clinical picture in our cases differs from clasic PXE. A peculiar acquired cutaneous PXE is not excluded.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D011561:Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D014472:Umbilicus