Cutaneous Vascular Anomalies: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Vascular anomalies are a group of disorders that are divided into two categories: tumors and malformations. Given the vast diversity of clinical presentations with overlapping signs and symptoms, diagnosis can be difficult. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the common cutaneous vascular anomalies encountered in our outpatient department. A total of 28 patients suspected to be having cutaneous vascular anomalies were screened and subjected to biopsy. The diagnosis was based on clinicopathological correlation. In our study, pyogenic granuloma was the most common vascular anomaly seen in 25% of patients; majority of these patients gave a history of trauma and spontaneous bleeding. It was followed by angiokeratoma (17.8%), infantile hemangioma, port-wine stain, and verrucous hemangioma which was seen in 10.7% of patients. Other common vascular anomalies included are glomus tumor and tufted angioma. Vascular anomalies comprise a spectrum of diseases, diagnosis of which is often challenging. Accurate diagnosis is critical to generate a management plan for the patient. Our study highlights the varied clinical spectrum of vascular tumors that we come across in clinical practice and it will increase familiarity of the various clinical presentations, thereby enabling clinicians to better identify and manage these challenging entities.