Neuropediatrics 2006; 37 - THP149
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-945972

ABSENCE OF CAROTID AND VERTEBRAL ARTERIES, AND PERSISTENCE OF EMBRYONIC ARTERIES ASSOCIATED WITH CUTANEOUS HEMANGIOMAS

I Pascual-Castroviejo 1, SI Pascual-Pascual 1, R Velazquez-Fragua 1, J Viaño 1, V Martinez 1, L Garcia-Guereta 1, JC Lopez-Gutierrez 1, RP Luaces 1
  • 1University Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain

Objectives: Cutaneous hemangiomas and vascular malformations frequently are associated with persistent of embryonic arteries, especially the trigeminal artery, and with absence or severe hypoplasia of carotid and/or vertebral arteries. In this paper, we present a series of cases that demonstrates this association.

Methods: Thirty eight patients, most of them children (30 female and 8 male), who presented with cutaneous facial hemangiomas or vascular malformations, were studied with conventional arteriography and/ or MR arteriography. We studied all the demonstrated intracranial and extracranial arteries.

Results: Absence or severe hypoplasia of an internal carotid artery was found in 15 patients (40%), absence of a vertebral artery in 8 patients (21%), persistence of embryonic development of a vertebral artery in 1 patient, hypoplasia of intracranial arteries in 7 patients (18%), aneurysmal enlargement of carotid or vertebral arteries in 5 patients (13%), persistence of the trigeminal artery in 8 patients (21%) and proatlantal artery in 1 patient.

Conclusion: Absence of carotid, vertebral and intracranial arteries, and persistence of embryonic vessels is very frequent in patients with cutaneous hemangioma or vascular malformations, especially in those with facial, neck or chest presentation.