Capillary Hemangioma Workup
- Author: Stuart Seiff, MD, FACS; Chief Editor: Hampton Roy Sr, MD more...
Laboratory Studies
- Immunohistochemical staining is positive for factor VIII.
Imaging Studies
Neuroimaging studies can be of great assistance in establishing the diagnosis.
Ultrasonography shows a lesion with irregular contour and low-to-medium internal reflectivity.
CT scan reveals a poorly circumscribed mass with no bony erosion. The lesion usually enhances with intravenous contrast.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals a lesion that is hypointense to fat on T1-weighted scans and hyperintense to fat on T2-weighted scans.
A well-circumscribed lobular pattern with prolonged parenchymal staining is seen with angiography. Involuting lesions tend to have less tissue staining.
Cardiac echocardiography and imaging of the great vessels are useful in the diagnosis of PHACES syndrome.
Histologic Findings
Pathological findings include proliferation of a single layer of endothelial cells and pericytes. Endothelial cells of the basement membrane characteristically have large amounts of endoplasmic reticulum. The small vascular spaces lead to the formation of a high-flow lesion.
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