SPINDLE CELL NEVUS COMPOSED OF HYPERPIGMENTED CELLS HAVING PROMINENT DENDRITIC CYTOPLASMIC PROCESSES
Lesions of this type are uncommon, and they are usually classified as Spitz' nevi or as pigmented spindle cell nevi of Reed. This has the merit of not adding an additional type of spindle cell nevus to the literature. It should be noted that hyperplasia of hyperpigmented spindle cells having prominent dendrites may be seen in the background of some benign and malignant squamoproliferative tumors as well as in the background of some benign and malignant melanocytic lesions. Such lesions can usually be comfortably classified on the basis of the background lesion.

 
 
Scan of a lesion from a 3 year old Caucasian.
Low power view of same.
High power view of same with arrows pointing to some of the dendrites.Note also the variation in the coarseness of the melanin granules.
High power view from another area. The dendritic cytoplasmic processes are more apparent in the longitudinally sectioned spindle cells in the right side of the picture than in the cross-sectional outlines in the left side of the picture.
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