Cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman Disease After COVID-19 Vaccination: Rare Occurrence with Challenging Presentation
Rosai-Dorfman disease is an uncommon proliferation of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that mainly affects lymph nodes, although occasionally it can be associated or even present solely with extranodal involvement including skin and subcutaneous fat infiltration.We present a case of cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease that occurred at the site of administration of COVID-19 vaccine. The patient was a 13-year-old Bahraini girl who presented with a 1-year history of left upper arm pain and swelling that started after receiving the Pfizer vaccination for COVID-19. Clinically, the mass was medium-sized, tender, and nonmobile. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging were suspicious for sarcoma. Ultrasound-guided biopsy revealed "subcutaneous panniculitis." Excision of the mass revealed a multinodular infiltrate of the subcutaneous fat composed of distinctive large histiocytes, with characteristic emperipolesis, positive for S100, CD68, and OCT-2, consistent with Rosai-Dorfman disease. We present a case of cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease as a complication of COVID-19 vaccination that was challenging for the pathologist, radiologist, and clinician.
Authors
- Zainab Harb
- Abdullah Mahmood Ali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4007-6769)
- Rola Husain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3236-3503)
- Ali Ali Redha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9665-9074)
- Zainab Abdulmajeed Toorani
Institutions
- Salmaniya Medical Complex (BH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0045-1810629
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Histiocytic Disorders and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.16