title: Bacillary angiomatosis presenting as a pyogenic granuloma of the hand in an otherwise apparently healthy patient.
abstract: Bacillary angiomatosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by the gram-negative bacteria Bartonella. The infection is strongly related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and hence, the diagnosis is usually considered based on the fact that the patient is HIV positive. We report on a case of bacillary angiomatosis presenting as a pyogenic granuloma of the hand in an otherwise apparently healthy man. The report is aimed to increase the awareness of hand surgeons that this serious disease may be the first clinical manifestation of HIV infection. The case also demonstrates that once the correct diagnosis is made, medical treatment alone may be sufficient to cure massive recurrent lesions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery at King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Thunayan
authors.forename: Musab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Rehaili
authors.forename: Obaid
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al-Meshal
authors.forename: Mohammad M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Al-Qattan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016917:Angiomatosis, Bacillary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D017789:Granuloma, Pyogenic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male