Transient bullous dermolysis of the newborn. Case report and review of pathogenesis.

A case of transient bullous dermolysis of the newborn is reported. A healthy Hispanic newborn developed bullae during the first two days of life. From age two to four weeks, the lesions healed with milia formation. There was no residual scarring or hypopigmentation. An induced blister showed dermal-epidermal separation with the PAS-positive basement membrane in the epidermal roof. PAS-positive inclusions were present in the cytoplasm of a few basal cells. Examination by electron microscopy showed degeneration of the collagen and anchoring fibrils. There were numerous stellate inclusions in the endoplasmic reticulum of the cytoplasm of the lesional basal keratinocytes.