By Mohammed Karzeiwi MD, Professor of Vascular Surgery, United Arab Emirates and contributor to Vein News and www.VeinsVeinsVeins.com and Katie Kozlowski (Associte Editor of Vein News at www.VeinsVeinsVeins.com
What is the most common type of vascular anomaly ?
Venous malformations are recognized as the most common type of vascular anomaly.
What is the prevalence of venous malformations in the general population ?
The prevalance of venous malformations are 1% in the general population.
Where do venous malformations occur ?
Venopus malformations can occur anywhere in the body. However, they are most common in the head and neck.
What is a venous malformation ?
Venous malformations are ectatic channels which arise as a result of vascular dysmorphogenesis.
How do venous malformations arise ?
Venous malformations develop by activating mutations in the endothelial tyrosine kinase receptor (TIE2)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3Kinase) pathway.
What is the typical size of a venous malformation at the time of diagnosis ?
Typically, at the time of diagnosis, a venous malformation is larger than 5 centimeters.
What are the most common presenting symptoms of venous malformations ?
Pain, swelling and obvious disfigurement.
How are they diagnosed ?
The diagnosis is based on visual appearance and the fact that they decompress with manual pressure, quickly filling up like a balloon when digital pressure is removed.
What is the typical color of a venous malformation ?
They are bluish in color when they are in or just below the skin.
What is the significance of venous malformations ?
Larger lesions are complicated by local intravascular coagulopathy causing haemorrhagic and/or thrombotic complications which can progress to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC).
What do the hard areas within a venous malformation represent ?
Phleboliths are calcified elements of thrombus within the vascular malformation.