Lamellar ichthyosis of the newborn. The "collodion baby": a clinical and genetic entity; report of a case and review of the literature with special consideration of pathogenesis and classification.

Abstract

The terms "lamellar ichthyosis of the newborn" and "collodion baby" have been used to designate a rare congenital abnormality, characterized by a collodion-like membrane, which envelops the infant at birth and frequently causes a weird appearance resembling that of a "harlequin fetus." Another important feature is the evolution into a mild type of ichthyosis, which follows the exfoliation of the horny membrane. This congenital disorder was first reported by Seligman¹in 1841, under the title of "epidermal desquamation of the newborn." Later, Ballantyne²described it in detail as a "mild type of foetal ichthyosis" and reviewed 33 cases which were reported, until 1895, under many different names. From then until 1955, fifteen more case reports were found by Shelmire.³In our study of the literature, we found 14 additional reports with a total of 19 cases. The purpose of this paper is to report another case; to