Congenital vascular malformations in childhood

Congenital vascular malformations are an important group of vascular anomalies that occur very early in the pregnancy. Most of these malformations occur between the third and the seventh weeks of the embryonic development. Malformations can affect the arteries, veins, capillaries, and venous sinuses, involving an isolated vessel or a part of the vascular system. There are malformations that affect the vessel size or course, and others that show pathology of the wall anatomy of the vessel. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is improving the study conditions of this pathology. Treatment of most of the vascular malformations--some of them giving clinical symptoms during adulthood--still constitutes a challenge.