Clinical Features:

• A chronic relapsing inflammatory disease most often involving the ears and nose
• Associated with polyarthritis, ocular inflammation and chondritis of the respiratory tract and cardiac valves
• Mortality rate as high as 25 percent

Histologic Features:

• Mixed inflammatory infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes, neutrophils and plasma cells in the dermis adjacent to deep subcutaneous cartilage
• Vacuolization and pyknosis of chondrocytes with eventual decrease in the basophilia of the cartilage
• Destruction of elastic fibers within the cartilage is seen on elastic stain.
• Old lesions show replacement of chondrocytes with fibrous tissue.

Cases associated with this book:

Relapsing polychondritis
Author: Stephen Lyle, M.D., Ph.D.

Conference: DermatopathologyConsultations.com Teaching Collection