Fig. 19.1
Upper panel illustrates penile papules in a young man with severe generalized lichen planus. Lower panel illustrates candida balanitis in an older uncircumcised man
Case
A man presents with genital lesions of several weeks to several months duration. Examination reveals papules and/or plaques.
History
Elements in the history that are essential to obtain include:
Age of the patient
Duration of the lesion(s)
Symptoms
Is the patient circumcised?
Papules versus patch/plaque
Location of the lesion (glans, prepuce, or skin of the shaft)
Response to previous treatment
History of similar lesions or symptoms in members of the household or sexual partners
Clinical Findings
Physical findings that may be helpful include:
Related findings in nongenital skin (such as lesions of psoriasis, scabies, lichen planus (LP), lichen sclerosis (LS), and lichen nitidus (LN))
Related lesions in adjacent skin such as the scrotum (condyloma, bowenoid papulosis (BP), molluscum, and extramammary Paget disease (EMPD))
Penile lesions of LP are more frequently annular and lesions of psoriasis appear less scaly. Patients with genital lesions of scabies almost invariably have lesions elsewhere, and the vast majority of patients with genital psoriasis have psoriasis elsewhere. Genital lesions of molluscum are similar to nongenital lesions, but may frequently be pinpoint making differentiation from lichen nitidus and condyloma difficult. Differentiation between condyloma and bowenoid papulosis (BP) is not always possible. Features that raise suspicion for the diagnosis of BP (smooth surface and reddish brown color) are not consistent; hence, requiring a high index of suspicion. Another cause of scaly papular lesions of the penis is porokeratosis pterytropica, a unique type of porokeratosis that involves the anogenital region. Close inspection reveals the characteristic thin keratotic rim at the border. Lesions are sometimes misdiagnosed as psoriasis or condyloma. A biopsy specimen is required to confirm the diagnosis.