[Angioarchitecture of keloids. A scanning electron microscopy study of a corrosion specimen]

Three keloids harvested during surgery were prepared for histology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of vascular corrosion casts. One well-filled keloid (12 cm x 7 cm) was examined by SEM. This specimen revealed a conspicuous increase in subepidermal venous vessels as well as prominent luminal bulging of the endothelial lining in arterial and venous vessels, shown by prominent surface imprint patterns on cast vessels. There were no tapered or compressed vessels. Blind ending vessels identified by cast morphology as vascular sprouts indicated keloid angiogenesis. The increase in (venous) vessels correlated very closely with the hyperaemic state of the keloid.