Equine Health Update EHU Vol 21 Issue 03 | Page 33

CPD Article | EQUINE • • • • • with gray scaly surface. Hair color variation may be detected. May increase, or remain static for months or years. Superficial layers of dermis only. May → verrucose, nodular or fibroblastic forms, especially if traumatized. Some gradually develop increasing numbers of nodules or areas of hyperkeratinization → verrucose. If abraded, these may develop into aggressive fibroblastic forms. Type II - Verrucose (warty) sarcoid • Increased dermal component. • ‘Warty’ appearance - often over large areas that start roughly circular but which gradually become less well defined. • Obvious, irregular flat areas of hyperkeratosis with marked skin thickening, variable degrees of flaking/scaling. • Hyperkeratosis variable, less pronounced in thin skinned areas, eg periorbital and facial areas. • Sessile, broad based or pedunculated. • Slow growing - but may become more aggressive after trauma or surgical interference granulomatous and develop an aggressive fibroblastic appearance. • Most common sites include the face, body, groin/ sheath and axillary areas. Type III - Nodular sarcoid • Entirely subcutaneous. • Dense, often spherical nodules under skin of 5-20 mm diameter, but can be larger. • Overlying skin normal or may be thinner and shiny, nodule usually mobile (type A nodules). • Sometimes there are dermal and deep attachments preventing movement of overlying skin and/or tumor mass (type B nodules). • Occasionally erupt through skin → fibroblastic appearance. • Thin skinned areas typically, paragenital, face, lips and eyelids. • Generally more benign and may be more amenable to surgical excision. • Dense appearance (fibroma durum) with well demarcated edge on section: ○ ○ Type A: these nodules have no cutaneous involvement - the skin can be moved over the nodule independently. There is (at least until the advanced stages when the nodule is very large) no surface skin change and no alopecia. Later the skin may become atrophied and glabrous: - - Subtype A1: in addition to no skin involvement there is no deep tissue involvement - the nodule moves independently of both the skin and the deeper tissues. Most of these lesions have a loose fibrocellular capsule. This type is usually amenable to surgery under very particular caveats. - - Subype A2: the nodule is bound down to the deeper subcutaneous structures so that it cannot be moved independently of them. This usually means that there is either no fibrocellular capsule or that it is incomplete. This type may be amenable to ligation but is probably not amenable to topical therapy. ○ ○ Type B: the nodule involves the skin often with overt cutaneous changes such as hair loss, hyperkeratosis and in some cases ulceration. The skin moves with the nodule: - - Subtype B1: the nodule has no deep tissue involvement and is restricted to the subcutis. The nodule (and the attached skin will move together freely over the deeper • Volume 21 Issue 3 | September 2019 • 33