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In Reply.—
It has been well acknowledged that fragmentation of elastic fibers is difficult to prove as Dr. Pinkus stated. When we prepared the special stains for elastic fibers, we were keenly aware of this difficulty. Therefore, we compared the preparation of our patient with three other normal specimens.Even though complete elastolysis was not demonstrated in our patient, we strongly believe that the findings differed significantly from the controls. According to A Guide to Dermatohistopathology by Drs Pinkus and Mehregan, it was stated that "The severity of changes varies topographically and some areas of skin may look quite normal."In addition, the patient died since the publication was submitted, and autopsy material further supported our contention.