|
| Fig. 22.5 Lupus band test. Linear granular bandlike deposition of C1q at the junction between the epidermis and dermis in a patient with discoid lupus erythematosus. (Courtesy of the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center teaching files.) |
This direct immunofluorescence test is performed either on lesional skin or on normal, nonlesional skin. Granular deposits of immunoglobulins and complement are detected in a band-like pattern at the dermal–epidermal junction (Fig. 22-5). When this pattern is seen in lesional skin, it supports a diagnosis of cutaneous LE. When found in nonlesional skin, it is suggestive of SLE.
