Ball and Claw Pattern

A descriptive term for the histopathological appearance of the dermal-epidermal junction in lichen nitidus, which is located on the arms, abdomen and penis, and characterised by epidermal flattening, hydropic degeneration or absence of basal cell layer, varying degrees of epidermal detachment, abundant lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the upper dermis, and occasional multinucleated giant cells, imparting a granulomatous appearance; the lateral margins—rete ridges form a pincer—collarette around the infiltrate