Dermoscopy of arteriovenous tumour: A morphological study of 39 cases

Arteriovenous tumour is a distinct, benign, acquired vascular lesion that can be misdiagnosed.

A dermoscopic examination of 39 cases of arteriovenous tumours collected from four Spanish hospitals was performed to evaluate specific dermoscopic criteria and patterns.

The most common structures found were vascular, 95% of cases (37/39); 90% (35/39) were non-arborising telangiectasia. All the lesions except two (95%) had a homogeneous pigmentation background that was red in 30 cases (77%), bluish-red in three (8%), brown in two (5%) and blue or multicoloured in one case each. Lacunae were seen in only three cases (8%). Non-arborising telangiectasia on a reddish background was identified in 72% of cases.

Dermoscopy is helpful in improving the diagnosis of arteriovenous tumours and allows the observer to differentiate them from other cutaneous lesions such as other vascular tumours, basal cell carcinomas and melanomas.