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Eruptive tufted angiomas in a patient with Crohn’s disease
  1. A M Al-Za’abi1,
  2. D Ghazarian1,
  3. G R Greenberg2,
  4. J C Shaw2
  1. 1Department of Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto M5T 2S8, Canada
  2. 2Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr J C Shaw
 Division of Dermatology, Western Toronto Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, EW 8-517 Toronto M5T 2S8, Canada; jc.shawutoronto.ca

Abstract

Angioblastoma is a rare, benign vascular tumour composed of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells with a tendency to form lumina. This entity was first described by Nakagawa in 1949 as angioblastoma, and Wilson Jones was the first to use the term “tufted angioma” in 1976. Tufted angiomas usually occur in infancy and spread slowly. This report describes lesions from the right side of the forehead, forearms, and thighs of a 24 year old man with a four year history of Crohn’s disease, who was receiving infliximab in addition to long standing azathioprine and ciprofloxacillin. He developed numerous small itchy erythematous vascular appearing papules, which on histological examination resembled tufted angiomas, showing the classic “cannon ball” appearance. The lesions regressed within three months. This case may represent an eruptive acquired tufted angioma in which immunosuppression or drug induced modification of angiogenesis played a role in its development and regression. One previous case of eruptive tufted angioma has been reported in an immunosuppressed patient.

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Footnotes

  • The photograph is reproduced with the full consent of the patient.