There appears to be almost unanimous agreement that surgical intervention is the only treatment for cutaneous beryllium granuloma. Nichol and Dominguez1 advise wide excision of such lesions and warn that the cure of the local lesions can be accomplished only if all beryllium-contaminated tissue is removed. Davis and Grimes2 and Helwig3 emphatically agree that surgical excision of beryllium granuloma is mandatory.
Therefore, it seems significant to present a case report in which cutaneous beryllium granulomas healed without surgical intervention.
REPORT OF A CASE
J. P., a man aged 27, sustained lacerations on two fingers caused by a broken fluorescent bulb known to contain beryllium silicate. The accident occurred on Sept. 5, 1951, and involved the third and fourth fingers of the right hand. The wounds were sutured within one hour after the accident. Two weeks after the wounds had been sutured, the tissues broke down and ulcerated.