Pseudohemangioma of the vertebra: an unusual radiographic manifestation of primary Ewing's sarcoma.
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Primary Ewing's sarcoma (ES) of the spine is uncommon, exhibiting a variety of appearances on plain-film radiographs and cross-sectional images. We report the unusual CT imaging manifestations of a primary ES with a coarse trabecular pattern that mimicked an aggressive hemangioma of the cervical spine. (+info)
A novel in vitro human model of hemangioma.
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Hemangioma, the most common tumor of infancy, is characterized by a proliferation of capillary endothelial cells with multilamination of the basement membrane and accumulation of cellular elements, including mast cells. The initial rapid growth is followed by an inevitable but slow involution. The currently available therapies are empirical and unsatisfactory because what is known of the cellular and molecular basis of hemangioma development is rudimentary. Advances in the understanding of its programmed biologic behavior has been hampered by the lack of a valid human model. We report here a novel in vitro culture system that is a useful human model of hemangioma. A small fragment of hemangioma biopsy is embedded in fibrin gel in a well of culture plates and incubated in a serum-free, buffered-salt, minimal medium. A complex network of microvessels grows out from the tissue fragments. Biopsies taken from all three phases of hemangioma development were cultured successfully; proliferative phase samples developed microvessels in 1 to 4 days, involuting phase in 5 to 7 days, and involuted phase in 7 to 12 days. The relative growth rates of the microvessels in the culture of biopsies taken from different stages of hemangioma development reflect the growth patterns seen clinically. This model has been validated using histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Comparison of the number, localization, and phenotype of endothelial and mast cells and the distribution of basement membrane constituents (type IV collagen, perlecan, and laminins) and growth factors (basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor-betas) in the biopsy and the tissue after culture shows that many of the characteristics of the original tissues were retained in culture. This in vitro human model of hemangioma overcomes some of the deficiencies associated with earlier models. It offers an opportunity for studying the precise cellular, biochemical, and molecular basis of hemangioma It may also help to elucidate the mechanisms of action of existing therapies and may lead to the identification of novel treatments for hemangioma. (+info)
Evaluation of the effects of intramyocardial injection of DNA expressing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in a myocardial infarction model in the rat--angiogenesis and angioma formation.
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OBJECTIVES: The effects of direct intramyocardial injection of the plasmid encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (phVEGF165) in the border zone of myocardial infarct tissue in rat hearts were investigated. BACKGROUND: Controversy exists concerning the ability of VEGF to induce angiogenesis and enhance coronary flow in the myocardium. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats received a ligation of the left coronary artery to induce myocardial infarction (MI). At 33.1 +/- 6.5 days, the rats were injected with phVEGF165 at one location and control plasmid at a second location (500 microg DNA, n = 24) or saline (n = 16). After 33.1 +/- 5.7 days, the hearts were excised for macroscopic and histologic analysis. Regional blood flow ratios were measured in 18 rats by radioactive microspheres. RESULTS: phVEGF165-treated sites showed macroscopic angioma-like structures at the injection site while control DNA and saline injection sites did not. By histology, 21/24 phVEGF165-treated hearts showed increased focal epicardial blood vessel density and angioma-like formation. Quantitative morphometric evaluation in 20 phVEGF165-treated hearts revealed 44.4 +/- 10.5 vascular structures per field in phVEGF165-treated hearts versus 21.4 +/- 4.7 in control DNA injection sites (p < 0.05). Regional myocardial blood flow ratios between the injection site and noninfarcted area did not demonstrate any difference between phVEGF,165-treated hearts (0.9 +/- 0.2) and saline-treated hearts (0.7 +/- 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Injection of DNA for VEGF in the border zone of MI in rat hearts induced angiogenesis. Angioma formation at the injection sites did not appear to contribute to regional myocardial blood flow, which may be a limitation of gene therapy for this application. (+info)
Benign small bowel tumor.
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The clinical record and histologic sections of 84 cases of benign small bowel tumor are reviewed. Manifestations of systemic diseases, congenital anomalies, and lesions of either the ileocecal valve or periampullary region were excluded. In the same time span there were 96 small bowel malignancies. Clinical presentation, pathologic findings, management and result are compared to the collected published experience of about 2000 cases. There were 36 leiomyomas, 22 lipomas, 9 angiomas, 6 neurofibromas and 4 fibromas. Thirty-six men and 48 women were affected; the majority in their fifth and sixth decade. Seventy-eight were operative and 6 autopsy diagnoses. The most common symptom was obstruction (42%) followed by hemorrhage (34%) and pain (22%), relative frequency differing for the various specific tumors. There were rarely significant physical findings. A diagnosis of small bowel tumor was made radiologically in 30 patients. Because of the nonspecificity of other signs and symptoms, an acute awareness of the possibility of small bowel tumor is mandatory for preoperative anticipation of the diagnosis. Local resection was performed in all with no deaths or significant postoperative complications. (+info)
Ultrasonographic evaluation of focal hepatic lesions: comparison of pulse inversion harmonic, tissue harmonic, and conventional imaging techniques.
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A prospective study was performed to evaluate whether pulse inversion harmonic imaging and tissue harmonic imaging improve the lesion conspicuity and change ultrasonographic characteristics of focal hepatic lesions. Three radiologists evaluated 97 focal hepatic lesions by consensus: cirrhosis-related nodules (n = 23), metastases (n = 23), hemangiomas (n = 27), and cysts (n = 24). In our study, pulse inversion harmonic imaging was judged superior to both tissue harmonic imaging and conventional imaging in conspicuity and overall quality for cirrhosis-related nodules, metastases, and cysts (P < 0.05). Compared with conventional imaging, both pulse inversion harmonic imaging and tissue harmonic imaging provided better conspicuity, clearer internal echogenicity, and stronger through-transmission of cysts (P < 0.05). Pulse inversion harmonic imaging was judged to be better in depicting internal morphology for cirrhosis-related nodules and metastases than conventional imaging (P < 0.05). For hemangiomas, no statistically significant difference was found in all parameters except better posterior enhancement by tissue harmonic imaging than other techniques. In conclusion, pulse inversion harmonic imaging showed the best conspicuity and also enhanced characteristics of both cystic and solid hepatic lesions. Tissue harmonic imaging was judged superior to conventional imaging in evaluating cysts but was not beneficial for solid lesions. The results of this trial may be specific to the machine used for this study. (+info)
Acquired tufted angioma of the lower lip mucosa.
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The acquired tufted angioma is a unique, dusky red, vascular proliferation previously reported in the skin, usually developing in childhood or in young adults, which exhibits a distinctive microscopic appearance. Clinically, the condition enlarges at a variable rate, becomes stable and may regress spontaneously. A small, long-standing, vascular lesion of the mucosa of the lower lip, exhibiting microscopic and immunohistochemical features resembling those of acquired tufted angioma, is reported. The differential diagnosis, including pyogenic granuloma, capillary hemangioma and hemangiopericytoma, is discussed. (+info)
Cowden's disease diagnosed through mucocutaneous lesions and gastrointestinal polyposis with recurrent hematochezia, unrevealed by initial diagnosis.
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A 51-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of hematochezia and painful keratotic plaques involving both hands. He had gastrointestinal polyposis, and a history of liver hemangiomas and thyroid tumor. Numerous papules on the face and papillomatosis on the oral mucosa were present. A diagnosis was made as a typical case of Cowden's disease according to the criteria proposed by Salem and Steck (J Am Acad Dermatol 8: 686, 1983). The patient was not correctly diagnosed initially in spite of typical manifestations of Cowden's disease, mainly due to his concomitant manifestations which occurred chronologically. (+info)
Extensively calcified hemangioma of the diaphragm with increased 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate uptake.
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A 31-year-old woman visited an out-patient clinic, because of low-grade fever and general fatigue. She was referred to our hospital and admitted for examination of an abnormal shadow which had been found on the chest radiograph. She had experienced faint right lateral chest pain several times on the deep inspirations. Chest radiography showed a mass shadow with calcification in the right lower lung field on the mediastinal side. Chest radiographic computed tomography showed a 6x6 cm tumor in the right lung field. There were low-density areas with septae inside the tumor. Bone scintigraphy showed extremely high uptake of (99m)Tc-HMDP in the tumor. After surgical resection and pathological examination, we concluded that the tumor was an extensively calcified benign hemangioma of the diaphragm. (+info)