Disseminated Congenital Osteomas of the Skin

Osteoma as a congenital abnormality of the skin is not generally known although its development from embryonal cell rests has occasionally been suggested. Our purpose in this paper is to report a case of osteomas occurring in an infant, which is especially rare and may therefore add to the knowledge of the nature of congenital heterotopic bone formations. Osteoma has been defined as a new growth composed of bone tissue, benign in nature, without any tendency to invasive growth or metastasis. Osteomas have been found in practically all organs as well as in the skin. Osteoma of the skin has been variously reported as osteosis cutis by Arzt 1 and Becker, 2 cutis by Taylor and Mackenna, 3 osteomatosis cutis by Dietrich, 4 miliary osteoma by Hopkins, 5 chondro-osteoma by Carl 6 and many other titles. Few of the reported cases can be considered as true or primary osteomas, that