An unusual vascular hamartoma on the gingiva of an 11-year-old boy

A case is reported of an unusual vascular lesion on the gingiva of an 11-year-old boy which clinically and histopathologically did not fit well into any current classification of vascular lesions. The lesion presented as a firm nodular swelling of the buccal and lingual gingiva which had been present for 9 years. The term endovascular papillary haemangioma is suggested. Histopathologically it had features in common with a number of benign vascular lesions, as well as with some more sinister locally-aggressive vascular tumours and angiosarcomas. It is stressed that, although some of these lesions may display features suggestive of malignancy, care should be exercised when making this diagnosis, as in recent years there has been an increase in the recognition and characterization of benign vascular lesions which exhibit unusual features.