Self-healing pseudoangiosarcoma. Unusual vascular proliferation resembling a vascular malignancy of the skin

Pseudomalignant vascular lesions are increasingly recognized by dermatologists and may be present in several disorders affecting vessels. We describe a 58-year-old obese woman who developed vascular papulonodular lesions in the left inguinocrural area, clinically and histologically resembling a malignant vascular proliferation, that spontaneously regressed within a few months, after bed rest and weight reduction. Therefore, our patient's vascular lesions appear to have been pseudomalignancies. There are no other similar conditions reported in the literature. This kind of disorder demonstrates that vascular tissue can be involved in very bizarre cell and tissue reactions to several stimuli and can mimic malignant neoplasms. We stress the importance of constant surveillance of this kind of lesion to collect adequate clinical data, because histologic findings alone may cause misdiagnosis and lead to treatment hazardous to the patient.