Abstract
A case of eosinophilic ulcer (EU) of the oral mucosa is described. The patient was a 73-year-old woman who had suffered indurated ulcer on the tongue of two months' duration. After biopsy, the ulcer completely healed without treatment. The lesion is interpreted as a mixed infiltrate of large mononuclear histiocytes with slight atypia, eosinophils and lymphocytes. The histiocytic component was nonreactive for the ordinary macrophage markers except for CD 68. The majority of lymphocytes were positive for CD 45 RO. In addition, vimentin (+), α-smooth muscle actin (+) and desmin (-) myofibroblasts were scattered throughout. The importance of EU is that it simulates malignancy and can lead to overtreatment for what is a florid but reactive process.
