ENLARGING CONGENITAL HEMANGIOMA IN AN ADULT - A NEW ENTITY

We report the case of a 39-year-old woman with a persistent congenital vascular lesion, which unusually is continuing to enlarge. Histologic ally, the lesion is a thin-walled haemangioma with numerous mast cells . Currently, the precise mechanism of vessel proliferation in such les ions is unknown, but it is important in the pathogenesis of both haema ngiomas and other dermatological conditions, as well as in wound heali ng and the formation of tumour metastases. We discuss various angiogen ic factors with particular reference to the putative role of the mast cell in the pathogenesis of haemangiomas.