Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia and vascular tumors of the head and neck.
OBJECTIVE
The clinicopathologic distinctions between angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (AHE) and vascular tumors are controversial. Some investigators believe that AHE is a variant of hemangioma, whereas others state that it is an inflammatory phenomenon. To better delineate the clinicopathologic entity of AHE and investigate the efficacy of various treatment regimens, we undertook a retrospective analysis of AHE and compared it with other angiomatous lesions treated at a tertiary referral center.


METHODS
We reviewed the histopathologic features of hemangioma, AHE, and angiosarcoma of the head and neck seen in 46 cases at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center between 1950 and 1992. Lesions were evaluated for presence of lymphoid and eosinophilic infiltration, type of endothelial cell, and pattern of vascular proliferation. Patient charts were also reviewed for clinical history and outcome.


RESULTS
The typical findings of AHE were present in 13 cases of conventional hemangioma and angiosarcoma. The clinical data of 8 AHE patients were also reviewed and a benign outcome was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that AHE represents an angiomatous neoplasm similar to the hemangioma but characterized by a marked reactive appearance. AHE may comprise part of a spectrum of vascular tumors with differences between lesions depending in part on host-mediated inflammatory and immune responses.
Don
D M
DM
Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine 90095, USA.
Ishiyama
A
A
Johnstone
A K
AK
Fu
Y S
YS
Abemayor
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000796:Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies