In this chapter, some special forms of the clinical and histopathological
presentation of leprosy are discussed: Lucio’s leprosy and Lucio’s phenomenon, histoid
leprosy, nodular leprosy of childhood, and primary neural leprosy. The main clinical
and histopathological characteristics of these forms and the condition under which they
appear within the entire spectrum of leprosy and its reaction phenomena are presented.
In addition, the main differential clinical and pathological diagnoses of each of these
lesions are discussed. The use of fine-needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of
leprosy, including its reaction phenomena, has also been addressed. The identification
of the histopathological features of these special forms of leprosy is important to
confirm the clinical diagnosis for guiding treatment and preventing the possible
misinterpretation of clinical and histopathological findings.
Keywords: Fine needle aspiration cytology, Hansen’s disease, Histoid leprosy,
Leprosy, Lucio’s leprosy, Lucio’s phenomenon, Mycobacterium leprae, Nodular
leprosy of childhood.
