HYPOMELANOSIS OF ITO - A CASE-REPORT WITH CLINICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL DATA

Hypomelanosis of Ito (HI) is an uncommon skin disorder characterized b y the presence of hypochromic areas associated with visceral abnormali ties, the most common being neurological, muscular, skeletal and ocula r. The authors describe a typical case of hypomelanosis of Ito in a 7- year-old child. The patient was obese, suffered from scoliosis, Aat fe et and had a bilateral genu valgus. No neurological, ophthalmological or dental malformations were noted. An electron microscopic study of a hypomelanotic area showed decreased functional activity in the melano cytes, which contained only a few rudimentary cytoplasmatic projection s and poorly developed organelles. In addition, there was a reduction in the number of mature melanosomes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.