Essential thrombocythemia manifesting as livedoid and purpuric skin lesions: Report of two cases and literature review.

Essential thrombocythemia is a chronic myeloproliferative syndrome which usually courses with an asymptomatic excess platelet count. Cutaneous manifestations secondary to microcirculation abnormalities are rare but can represent a helpful diagnostic clue in order to prevent major thromboembolic events. We report two cases of heterogeneous livedoid and "net-like" skin lesions in the context of essential thrombocythemia with identical histopathologic findings (lumina obliteration by eosinophilic material, mostly positive for CD61 platelet stain, without vasculitis of medium-sized skin vessel). In conclusion, we seek to raise awareness of the clinicopathological features of essential thrombocythemia to allow for prompt diagnosis and treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.