Neurofibromatosis of von Recklinghausen: A quantitative study of the epidermal keratinocyte and melanocyte populations

Abstract

The numerical keratinocyte to melanocyte relation was studied in cafe au lait spots and adjacent normally pigmented skin of 9 patients with classical neurofibromatosis. Compared to normal skin of healthy individuals, the keratinocyte:molanocyte ratio distributions obtained in neurofibromatosis indicated a shift to lower values in the biopsies of cafe au lait spots and normally pigmented skin. These results are evidence in favor of an impaired tissue organization of the epidermis in neurofibromatosis with regard to the keratinocyte-melanocyte interrelation.