What is Angiomatosis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prognosis

Angiomatosis refers to benign growth of small capillaries involving the soft tissues, organs, muscles, and bones. Angiomatosis is known to spread across a large section of the body although it frequently affects the lower limbs. Some of the other regions where Angiomatosis may occur are the abdomen, chest, and arms. Depending on the size of the tumor and how much it has spread it can cause a variety of health complications.

Angiomatosis is basically treated with surgical excision, although surgery is not recommended in patients where the tumor is located at a sensitive area and cannot be reached. Since these lesions are benign hence prognosis for Angiomatosis is good; however, if there is a growth of a tumor in the brain then it might lead to certain complications which may even be life-threatening depending on the size and location of the tumor.

The root cause for development of Angiomatosis is still not known but it is believed to be caused due to certain genetic factors. The lesions are believed to start developing during the fetal stage or at birth but become apparent only at adulthood and can be fully visualized by the time the patient reaches age 20.

There are no known risk factors for Angiomatosis but it is believed to be associated with certain medical conditions like:

• Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome
• Sturge-Weber syndrome
• Von Hippel-Lindau disease.

This means that if an individual has any of the above disease is more likely to develop Angiomatosis than the normal population, although it is not necessary that all people with any of these conditions will eventually have Angiomatosis.

Some of the symptoms of Angiomatosis are:

• These lesions grow at a slow rate and are known to expand and reduce in size alternatively.
• The most common places where these tumors can be found are the lower extremities, although these tumors can also be found in the abdomen, chest, and the arms as well.
• Large lesions of Angiomatosis are more clearly visible than the small lesions of Angiomatosis.

Angiomatosis can be easily diagnosed by conducting radiological studies in the form of CT or MRI scans which will clearly show the location of the lesion and how much the lesion has spread. A biopsy of the affected tissue will confirm whether the lesions are malignant or benign. Based on this history and physical examination, and the studies it becomes easier for the doctor to definitively diagnose Angiomatosis.

Surgical excision is the mainstay of the treatment of Angiomatosis. The surgeon will try to completely remove the tumor because if the tumor is not completely removed then there are high chances of the tumor recurring. Surgery is not recommended for removal of tumor which is not accessible and other modes of treatment are employed to treat it.

Embolization is yet another mode of treatment for Angiomatosis but it is a temporary and not a permanent solution for this problem. This method also helps in reducing blood loss during the surgical procedure to excise the tumors. Postsurgery it is essential for the patient to not use the affected area or apply pressure to the affected area until the wound heals for best postoperative results. Once the tumors are completely removed it is essential for the patient to follow up regularly fort screenings to make sure that the tumor has not recurred.

For small lesions due to Angiomatosis, the prognosis with surgery is very good and there are very less chances of recurrence. For medium to large sized tumors, there are about 50% chances of recurrence of the tumor after it has been successfully removed during surgery.

The prognosis however for tumors that occur in the brain is quite guarded depending on the size and location of the lesion. If the lesion can be successfully removed then the prognosis is quite good but in some cases it has resulted in coma or even death due to tumors in the brain caused by Angiomatosis.