Temporal progression of skeletal cystic angiomatosis

Asymptomatic Skeletal Cystic Angiomatosis May Be Managed Conservatively With Close Observation

Cystic angiomatosis (CA) is a rare disease characterized by the proliferation of vascular and lymphatic channels lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. CA may present with isolated skeletal or visceral disease. There is no consensus for the standard of care in these patients, and diverse regimens for CA have been reported, including observation, surgery, radiation, and a variety of medical therapies. We present a case of multifocal, isolated skeletal CA, treated with close observation alone and review the literature. We suggest that these cases may be safely followed without intervention and may be stable for prolonged periods of time.

Vascular Floor of Mouth Mass with Unanticipated Intracranial, Orbital, and Vertebral Associated Involvements

We report on a case in which a blanching, unobtrusive oral growth proved to be a systemic threat. A blind, epileptic child presented with a bleeding oral floor mass of 4 weeks. Biopsy showed small, dilated vascular spaces with reactive fibroblasts. MRI indicated distribution of expansile lesions in the mandible, cranial base, and right orbit that had possibly contributed to the patient's years-long neurologic deficits. A subsequent bone scan indicated lesions in multiple axial bones. Histologic markers confirmed the presentation of a rare cystic vascular pathology. Cystic Angiomatosis is a disease of intraosseous vascular malformations with occasional visceral involvements. Oral and craniomaxillofacial cases are especially rare and presentations can involve neuropsychiatric deficits, sensory issues, and mucosal bleeding. While clinicians are often dismissive of intraoral bleeding because of the prevalence of periodontal disease, careful evaluation is nonetheless critical to rule out underlying diseases with a possibly significant systemic involvement.

Cystic angiomatosis, a heterogeneous condition: Four new cases and a literature review

BACKGROUND

Cystic angiomatosis (CA) is a rare disorder causing bony cysts. It displays some similarity to Gorham-Stout disease (GSD), but has a much better local prognosis, despite the larger number of cysts. These 2 conditions also differ in terms of their location, visceral involvement, and response to treatment.

METHODS

We report 4 cases of CA, including 1 sclerosing form, which we compare with cases from a literature review performed with PRISMA methodology.

RESULTS

We reviewed 38 articles describing 44 other patients. Mean age at diagnosis for the 48 patients (our 4 patients + the 44 from the review) was 22.5 years, and 28 of the patients were men. The femur was involved in 81% (n = 39), the pelvis in 73% (n = 35), the humerus in 52% (n = 25), the skull in 48% (n = 23), and the vertebrae in 44% (n = 21). Visceral lymphangiomatosis (either clinical, or detected on autopsy) was also reported in 35% (n = 18) of the patients. The spleen was the most frequently involved organ (n = 12), followed by the lungs and pleura (n = 8). Liver cysts and/or chylothorax were rarely reported (5 cases), but were invariably fatal. Radiation therapy on bone or soft tissue masses was ineffective, as was interferon alpha, in the 2 patients in which this drug was tested. The efficacy of bisphosphonate was at best equivocal.

CONCLUSION

The progression of CA is unpredictable and treatments effective against GSD, such as bisphosphonates and radiotherapy, have proved ineffective for this condition. New treatments are thus urgently required.

Importance of MRI in the diagnosis of vertebral involvement in generalized cystic lymphangiomatosis

A 9-year-old boy presented with the sudden onset of pleuritic chest pain and on CT was found to have a large pleural effusion, mediastinal fluid, splenic lesions and multiple apparently sclerotic vertebral bodies. Subsequent MRI showed that those vertebral bodies that appeared sclerotic were in fact normal, and the vertebral bodies initially interpreted as normal had an abnormal T1 and T2 hyperintense signal on MRI and were relatively lucent on CT. MRI also demonstrated abnormal heterogeneous T2 hyperintense paraspinal tissue and several multicystic soft tissue masses. Biopsy of two adjacent vertebral bodies, one relatively sclerotic and one lucent, demonstrated findings of bony remodeling without a specific diagnosis. Biopsy of an infiltrative mediastinal mass confirmed the diagnosis of generalized cystic lymphangiomatosis. MRI should be included in the assessment of vertebral involvement in this condition because CT and biopsy findings may be nonspecific.

Cystic bone angiomatosis: a case report treated with aminobisphosphonates and review of the literature

Cystic angiomatosis (CA) is a rare disease characterized by multifocal hemangiomatous and/or lymphangiomatous lesions of the skeleton with possible visceral organ involvement. The exact pathogenetic mechanism of the disease is still unknown. We describe a patient affected by CA of bone treated with surgical procedures and subsequently with intravenous aminobisphosphonates for 7 years. During the follow-up progression of lesions, the painful symptoms, markers of bone turnover, computed tomographic examination, and bone mineral density were evaluated. Aminobisphosphonate therapy showed an immediate effectiveness in reducing bone pain, with a significant decrease in circulating bone alkaline phosphatase and stable radiological findings during clinical follow-up. In addition, at baseline, high levels of bone biomarkers and cytokines (osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, and interleukin-6) capable of controlling bone metabolism and angiomatosis were identified. Aminobisphosphonate treatment produced a decrease of all these increased markers. Local cell therapy with bone marrow osteoblast precursors did not produce any measurable clinical improvement. Aminobisphosphonate therapy represents an elective treatment for bone angiomatosis syndromes, but further studies are necessary to understand the molecular basis of these disorders and of their pharmacological treatment.

Lymphoscintigraphy in the diagnosis of lymphangiomatosis

Lymphangiomatosis is a rare condition characterized by multiple abnormalities of the lymphatic system. Diagnosis is often difficult, as chronic, intermittent, or acute pain; edema; and other symptoms may affect the respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, skeletal, and other organ systems. We report the case of a patient who first presented with lymphedema in childhood and was treated intermittently for related symptoms before diagnosis was achieved 36 years later. Plain film radiography, bone scanning, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and lymphoscintigraphy were used to arrive at a diagnosis. Information derived from all scan types was combined to derive a diagnosis of lymphangiomatosis. Lymphoscintigraphy provided direct evidence of the abnormal lymphatic flows associated with lymphangiomatosis. Lymphangiomatosis presents a diagnostic challenge; information from several scan types, including lymphoscintigraphy, is useful in deriving this diagnosis.