Common blue nevus with satellitosis on the scalp

Abstract

SummaryBlue nevi are benign tumors of dermal melanocytes. They are typically dark blue to grey-black papules or nodules with well-defined borders. Within the spectrum of blue nevi there are several subtypes. In this case, we present a 71-year-old African American female who presented with a blue-black macule on the scalp concerning for a melanoma. After a shave biopsy, there was dark black pigmentation at the base of the biopsy specimen with areas of satellite pigmentation, a presentation that caused concern for transient metastases of a melanoma. However, histopathological examination of the lesion showed a banal appearing blue nevus with skip areas, no evidence of atypical melanocytes or mitotic activity, thus a diagnosis of blue nevus with satellitosis was rendered. To our knowledge, this is the 6 th reported case of blue nevus with satellitosis mimicking malignant melanoma.KEY WORDS: blue nevi; melanoma; satellitosis; atypical nevus.