Angioleiomyoma: a clinical, pathological and radiological review

Angioleiomyoma is a benign turnout arising from the vascular smooth muscle (tunica media) and presents commonly between third and fifth decades of life. Although there are sporadic reports about this turnout in the literature, none describes all the information in detail. This review is an attempt to collate all the facts in one concise article. Angioleiomyoma presents as a painful mass in approximately 60% of the cases. One of the distinct clinical feature noted is the increase in size of the swelling with physical activity of the involved part, especially in the hand. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of painful nodular lesions of the extremity. Pre-operative diagnosis is difficult, but with a high index of suspicion and awareness, it is possible. The use of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging should be considered. It causes minimal morbidity and excision is usually curative. Histological examination using smooth muscle Actin stain portraits the smooth muscle bundles clearly. (C) 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.