Angiokeratoma

Definition

Angiokeratomas represent a group of unrelated disorders having in common dilated preexistent vascular channels in the superficial (papillary) dermis, usually accompanied by secondary epidermal changes. Angiokeratoma circumscriptum probably represents a capillary-lymphatic malformation.

Clinical Features

Four clinical variants of angiokeratomas can be distinguished:

• Solitary angiokeratomas. They are the most common variant, representing about 80 % of all angiokeratomas. Solitary angiokeratomas have a wide age distribution, but most commonly develop in the second to fourth decades of life and show a male predominance. Although a solitary angiokeratoma can develop at any site, including mucosal surfaces, sites of predilection are the lower extremities. A solitary angiokeratoma presents clinically as an asymptomatic warty hyperkeratotic papule or nodule, measuring from 2 to 10 mm in diameter. Bleeding following minor trauma is not infrequent. The lesion can occasionally be...