Clinicopathologic analysis of acroangiodermatitis: 12 case reports

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinicopathologic features and differential diagnosis of acroangiodermatitis (AM). Methods Clinical and pathological data on 12 patients with AM were retrospectively reviewed. Results Clinical manifestations of AM consisted of circumscribed brown to violaceous macules, plaques, nodules and ulceration. Lesions were located in bilateral legs in 6 patients, and in unilateral legs in the other 6 patients. Histopathological examination revealed an increased number of lobular or clump - shaped capillaries and small veins whose lumens were round and regular, swelling of vascular endothelial cells, and different degrees of erythrocyte extravasation, hemosiderin deposition, dermal fibrosis and sparse infiltrates of inflammatory cells. The lesions were histologically located in the superficial dermis in 3 cases, in the upper and middle dermis in 8 cases, and in the entire dermis in 1 case. Immunohistochemical studies showed that vascular endothelial cells stained positive for CD31 and CD34, while perivascular cells stained negative for CD34. Conclusions AM has specific clinical and pathological manifestations, and pathological examination is essential for the diagnosis of AM. Key words: Sarcoma, Kaposi; Disease attributes; Pathology; Diagnosis; Acroangiodermatitis