Successful treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum with granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis

Abstract

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a neutrophilic dermatosis clinically characterised by the presence of painful skin ulcerations with erythematous and undetermined borders and histologically by the presence of neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis. Granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis, also called granulocytapheresis, is a therapeutic strategy for extracorporeal immunomodulation that selectively removes activated granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages from the peripheral blood. Here, we report a case of a 73-year-old patient affected by a severe form of pyoderma gangrenosum presenting with multiple painful ulcers and pustules on his trunk and extremities. The disease was resistant to high doses of methylprednisolone and methotrexate and successfully treated by granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the efficacy of granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis in pyoderma gangrenosum in Europe.

Keywords: Granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis; Neutrophilic dermatosis; Pyoderma gangrenosum.