Pemphigus vulgaris: Clinicopathologic review of 33 cases in the oral cavity

A retrospective study was conducted on all cases of pemphigus vulgaris occu rring on oral mucosal surfaces in the files of the Oral Pathology Laborator y at Temple University from 1974 to 1996. A total of 35 biopsies from 33 pa tients were reviewed, 25 female and eight male. Patient ages ranged from 27 to 79 years; the mean age was 56.5. The most common clinical complaint was of painful ulcers that failed to resolve within several weeks. Thirty pati ents had no known history of pemphigus, while in three patients a history o f pemphigus was known. The most common clinical impression was that of muco us membrane pemphigoid, but the differential diagnosis included other vesic uloerosive conditions.