Postmenopausal vulvar hemangioma: diagnostic insights from a low-resource setting

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pathology
• Gynecology

Background:

• Vulvar hemangiomas are uncommon in adult women, especially postmenopausal individuals.
• Misdiagnosis is frequent due to their rarity and presentation as vulvar masses.
• Limited resources often preclude advanced diagnostic tools like imaging and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the significance of considering benign vascular tumors in the differential diagnosis of adult vulvar masses.
• To illustrate effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for vulvar hemangiomas in resource-constrained settings.
• To highlight the reliability of histopathology in managing these rare conditions.

Main Methods:

• A case presentation of a 62-year-old postmenopausal woman with a vulvar mass.
• Diagnosis and treatment via excisional biopsy.
• Detailed histopathological examination using hematoxylin and eosin staining.

Main Results:

• A well-circumscribed dermal proliferation of vascular channels was identified.
• A reactive lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate was noted.
• Malignancy was successfully excluded based on morphological assessment alone.

Conclusions:

• Geriatric vulvar hemangiomas can present de novo and be managed effectively without advanced diagnostics.
• Histopathological assessment is a reliable method for excluding malignancy in low-resource settings.
• Accurate diagnosis prevents overtreatment and ensures cost-effective surgical outcomes.