Skin nonmelanocytic tumor
Vascular tumors
Hemangioma variants
Microvenular hemangioma
Author: Christopher S. Hale, M.D.
Last author update: 1 July 2012
Last staff update: 9 November 2020
Copyright: 2003-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed search: Microvenular [title] hemangioma
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Hale CS. Microvenular hemangioma. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skintumornonmelanocytichemangiomamicrovenular.html. Accessed September 22nd, 2023.
Definition / general
- Young to middle aged adults
- Also pregnant women or women on oral contraceptives
- Small, enlarging, purple red nodules or plaques of extremities
- Duration up to 4 years
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Transdermal proliferation of irregular branching venules with indistinct lumina, no atypia, no fat invasion (although may grow along collagenous septa of subcutis)
- Variable dermal fibrosis and lymphocytes
- Resembles acquired (tufted) angioma, stasis change, sclerosing hemangioma
Microscopic (histologic) images
Contributed by Mark R. Wick, M.D.
Positive stains
- Endothelial cells are strongly Ulex europaeus lectin 1+, weakly positive for factor VIII related antigen
Differential diagnosis
- Dermatofibroma
- Kaposi's sarcoma: irregularly anastomosing vascular spaces, plasma cells, hyaline globules, fascicles of spindle cells
