How do you diagnose erythema nodosum?
There are a few other skin eruptions that mimic erythema nodosum, so the physician may have to perform a biopsy to sort them out. There are a few types of panniculitis, fat inflammation, that may signal a cancer somewhere in the body, and there are other kinds of inflammation that may confuse the diagnosis. Once the skin problem has been diagnosed, its underlying cause must then be identified. A lengthy evaluation may ensue, and often times the cause remains unknown. Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.
