Granuloma annulare following cryotherapy

Abstract

Granuloma annulare (GA) is a benign dermatosis of unknown aetiology, characterized by papules with an annular disposition. Observation of the appearance of a GA in patients undergoing cryotherapy for common warts and actinic keratoses of the hands, led us to evaluate a possible relationship between the two conditions. Over 18 months we studied 158 patients treated with Liquid nitrogen and a compound based on formalin and resorcin for warts and actinic keratoses of the hands. After a year we observed GA in three women from group A who had undergone, respectively, six, five and seven applications of liquid nitrogen. There was also one woman from group C who developed GA after eight similar treatments. These observations suggested a possible correlation between the two events.