title: Spitz nevi: diverse clinical, dermatoscopic and histopathological features in childhood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The characterization of clinical features and biological potential of Spitz nevi has attracted a lot of interest in past decades. The aim of our paper was to describe the clinical, dermatoscopic features as well as the clinical outcome of surgically excised Spitz nevi in three different pediatric age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study analyzing clinical features, videodermatoscopic images, histopathological diagnosis and patient outcome. The level of pigmentation was evaluated both clinically and histopathologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  72 spitzoid neoplasms were excised from 71 pediatric patients. Videodermatoscopic images were available for 41 patients. The distribution of pigmentation significantly correlated with patient age: hyperpigmented lesions were rather rare in preschool children, becoming more frequent in patients aged 7 to 12 years and older than 13 years. The histopathological diagnosis of atypical Spitz nevus was uncommon. None of the patients originally diagnosed with atypical Spitz nevi developed local recurrence or metastases during subsequent follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pigmented Spitz nevi were more common after 13 years of age. The study confirms other reports regarding the distribution of pigmentation patterns, and underlines the low number of atypical Spitz nevi in pediatric patients as well as their low recurrence rate during long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dika
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Iria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Alessandro
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fanti
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barisani
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ravaioli
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Department of -Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patrizi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D046169:Dermoscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000473:pathology; D018332:Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014741:Video Recording