Verrucous hemangioma: a report of two cases and review of the literature

Usefulness of Ultrasound in Verrucous Venous Malformation: a Series of 103 Cases

BACKGROUND

Verrucous venous malformation (VVM), previously called "verrucous hemangioma," is a rare type of vascular malformation.

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about the ultrasonographic characteristics of VVM. The present study aimed to show the conventional US and elastographic features of a VVM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The US findings in 103 patients with VVMs were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

On gray-scale ultrasound images, 98 (95.1%) lesions showed subcutaneous fat infiltration from skin across muscle to deep fascia. The other 5 (4.9%) sat in the subcutaneous layer with no skin involvement. Most (96.1%) lesions were hyperechoic. Furthermore, 71.8% of lesions were heterogeneous, 68.9% of which were with ill-defined margins. Calcifications and visible vessels were present in 5.7% and 10.7% of the VVM cases, respectively. By color Doppler ultrasound, all lesions were found with low vascular density and 4.9% showed enhanced blood flow after compression. Venous spectrum was observed in 67.0% of lesions. The elasticity score was 2.66 ± 0.48.

CONCLUSION

Diagnosis of a VVM is challenging in the clinic. However, we found that most VVM lesions present distinctive ultrasound imaging characteristics. These ultrasound findings may well contribute to the accuracy of VVM diagnosis, especially in those with the absence of epidermal changes and the lack of dermal involvement.

WITHDRAWN: Malformación venosa verrugosa y sobrecrecimiento: a propósito de 2 casos

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, https://doi.org/10.36959/472/363. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal.

Verrucous venous malformation with thrombocytopenia in a neonate

Verrucous venous malformations (VVM) are rare, congenital, slow-flow vascular anomalies that have been historically difficult to characterize due to clinical mimics and unclear histological evaluation. A life-threatening complication of VVMs is localized intravascular coagulation. Herein, we describe a male neonate who presented with a congenital VVM on the left lower extremity with associated severe thrombocytopenia. We discuss the multifaceted diagnostic approach used to identify this VVM, while highlighting the use of WT-1 as a negative predictive marker; we additionally outline novel treatment options and management beyond cutaneous involvement.

Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum with severe acroparesthesia, an endothelial abnormality, and inconspicuous genetic findings

Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum (ACD) was long thought to be a specific dermal sign of Fabry disease (FD, X-linked alpha-galactosidase A [GLA] deficiency). However, other lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) have also been identified as triggers of ACD. Generalized vasculopathy is an important pathogenetic factor in FD and may also lead to the acroparesthesia (AP) often predominant in FD. We report on an 85-year-old woman with ACD present since her youth and associated with severe AP. Ultrastructure of the dermal lesion showed no lysosomal involvement, but the absence of the basement membrane of the endothelial cells of the capillary vessels was noteworthy. Repeated analyses of the GLA gene revealed no evidence of FD. Whole-exome sequencing was negative for FD and other LSDs, and allowed us to also study FD-related intronic regions of the GLA gene. This is the first report of a patient with FD-like ACD with an endothelial abnormality, otherwise unexplained vasculopathy and severe AP, which are not due to FD or another LSD. Based on family history, another genetic, yet unidentified, defect may cause the disease in this patient. In unexplained ACD, extended genetic analysis is required to exclude particular pathogenic variants of the GLA gene and other genes.

Verrucous hemangioma (also known as verrucous venous malformation): A vascular anomaly frequently misdiagnosed as a lymphatic malformation

Verrucous hemangioma or verrucous venous malformation is a superficial venous malformation frequently misdiagnosed as a lymphatic malformation because of its classical hyperkeratotic appearance. Clinical characteristics of VVM were studied in patients with a histologically confirmed VVM, and validated in a prospective study of 18 patients. VVM was made of separated vascular elements with irregular shape, in a linear disposition, with variable thickness and keratosis. Its specific vascular pattern consisting of an erythematous patch with scattered small red to violet dots was easily identified using dermoscopy. In many cases, the typical clinical presentation of verrucous hemangioma is sufficient to establish the diagnosis and a biopsy may not be required.

Late onset palmar angiokeratoma circumscriptum: An unusual presentation

Angiokeratomas (AK) are a group of capillary vascular malformations encompassing several unrelated conditions, predominantly seen on the lower extremities. AK can be classified into localized and diffuse forms. The diffuse forms comprise Fabry's disease, which is the result of α-galactosidase deficiency. The cutaneous AK includes the Mibelli type, the Fordyce type, angiokeratoma circumscriptum (AC), and ‘solitary and multiple papular angiokeratoma’. We describe a case of AC with unusual features including late onset and palmar affection. Amongst the possible therapeutic options, cryotherapy was considered. However, the patient was lost to follow up.

Verrucous hemangioma with pseudoepitheliomatous epidermal hyperplasia in an adult horse

Verrucous hemangiomas are a rare specific variant of equine skin tumors not well described in the literature. An 8-year-old gelding presented a unilateral lesion on the pastern. Macroscopically, the mass showed a warty and verrucous surface with focal ulcerations. The histology showed a dermal proliferation of endothelial-layered capillaries and venules separated by a delicate stroma of scant fibroblasts and collagen deposition, with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (exuberant reactive irregular epithelial hyperplasia with tongue-like projections extending into the dermis, mimicking downgrowth of squamous cell carcinoma) and orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis of the overlying epidermis. The immunohistochemical study confirmed the endothelial origin of the tumor, and a final diagnosis of verrucous hemangioma with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia was confirmed. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first detailed description of this entity in adult horses. Moreover, the clinical progression and epidermal changes have not been previously reported, emphasizing the importance of a pathological study of any epithelial preneoplastic lesion to rule out an underlying dermal neoplasia.

Solitary angiokeratoma on palms and soles: a clinicopathological analysis of 21 cases

Angiokeratoma includes a group of unrelated diseases characterized by hyperkeratosis and dilation of vessels in the superficial dermis. In this study, 21 cases of solitary lesions located on palms and soles and histopathologically diagnosed as angiokeratoma were analyzed retrospectively. All lesions presented as red to violet macules or plaques. Histopathologically, all of them showed hyperkeratosis and vascular dilation in the papillary to deep dermis. The elongated vessels were of different sizes and shape, lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. In 13 lesions, the endothelial cells protruded into the lumen, forming a hobnail appearance. Immunohistochemical study showed the endothelial cells were positive for CD31 and CD34, negative for D2-40, and focally positive for Wilms tumor 1 (WT-1) in most cases. Our cases represented a rare type of angiokeratoma located on the palms and soles, in which the focal positivity of WT-1 was different from previously reported vascular proliferations.

Verrucous hemangioma expresses primitive markers

BACKGROUND

Verrucous hemangioma (VH) presents clinically as a vascular malformation but has similar histopathologic features to infantile hemangioma. This study characterized the cell population within VH.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Paraffin-embedded sections from two male patients with VH were processed for immunohistochemistry. The expression of SMA, CD34, glucose transporter-1 (Glut-1), D2-40, brachyury, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), Oct-4, hemoglobin ζ chain (HBZ), Wilms tumor protein (WT-1) and CD45 was examined.

RESULTS

The lymphatic marker, D2-40, was not expressed in VH, whereas Glut-1 was widely expressed in infantile hemangioma, it was only focally expressed by the endothelium of VH. The endothelium of VH expressed the primitive markers, Oct-4, brachyury and ACE. The primitive marker, WT-1, was expressed predominantly on the pericyte layer of both VH and infantile hemangioma. However, HBZ was only expressed in infantile hemangioma. CD45, a mature hematopoetic marker, was expressed by cells within the interstitium, away from the endothelium of VH and infantile hemangioma.

DISCUSSION

The expression of the primitive markers, Oct-4, brachyury and ACE on the endothelium, and WT-1 predominantly on the pericyte layer of VH shows a primitive microvascular phenotype similar to infantile hemangioma. However, the absence of the embryonic marker, HBZ, expressed only in first trimester placenta and in proliferating infantile hemangioma, suggests a different cellular origin. HBZ could be used to distinguish between the two conditions.