Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen.

Abstract

Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) of the spleen was first described by Martel et al. in 2004, and this rare benign vascular lesion is composed of angiomatoid nodules, a sclerotic internodular stroma, and a lymphoplasma cell infiltration. Macroscopically, the tumor presents as a multinodular, uncapsulated, well-circumscribed mass in the fibrosclerotic background. Angiomatoid nodules which is the most characteristic microscopic feature of SANT are composed of three types of endothelial cells; the cord capillary-type, the sinusoidtype, and the small vein-type, resembling the normal vascular structure of splenic red pulp. Martel et al. suggested that angiomatoid nodules may represent an unusual transformation of the red pulp of the spleen in response to the vascular blockage. The clinical process of SANT is benign without recurrence after splenectomy. We report herein on the first Korean case of SANT in the spleen with its pathologic features, and we review the related literature.