Angiomyoma of the Hard Palate : Report of a Rare Case

Abstract

Angiomyoma is defined as a painful, benign subcutaneous or deep dermal tumor composed of mature smooth muscle bundles that are surrounded and interlaced by vascular channels. Smooth muscle neoplasms can be classified into solid leiomyomas, angioleiomyomas (vascular leiomyomas) and epitheloid leiomyomas (leiomyoblastomas). Among these types, the vascular leiomyoma is the most common subtype in the oral cavity. It may appear at any age with the greatest incidence in the 4th and 5th decades of life. The common manifestation is a slow-growing, asymptomatic, submucosal mass. The diagnosis is only possible through histopathological examination requiring special staining. The treatment of choice is the surgical excision and no recurrence is usually seen, though malignant transformation of these tumors has been reported. Hence a thorough examination, knowledge and follow-up must be warranted in this soft tissue tumor. In this article, we present a rare case of an angiomyoma in the right side of the hard palate with description of its clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics.

Oral Angioleiomyoma in Early Childhood Patient: A Case Report of an Uncommon Lesion and Literature Review

“… 13 , 15 The origins of smooth muscle in the oral cavity are circumvallate papillae, blood vessels, heterotopic smooth muscle, and remains of embryonic tissue. 3 , 15 An interesting theory is that the pericyte is responsible for the AL development. 4 These pericytes can be considered as progenitors for vascular smooth muscle cells in AL.…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) categorized it into three histological subtypes: solid, venous, and cavernous. 3 The solid subtype has small vascular channels and bundles of compacted smooth muscle. The venous-type tumors have larger channels with thicker walls of muscle.…”

“… 1 , 2 They can be divided into three subtypes on the basis of their cytoarchitecture: solid leiomyoma (leiomyoma), angioleiomyoma (AL), and epithelioid leiomyoma (leiomyoblastoma). 3 , 4 ALs, also known as vascular leiomyomas, angiomyomas, or dermal angiomas (in the skin), 5 have been observed in the subcutaneous tissue of the lower extremities, 6 and are very rare in the oral cavity. 1 , 4 , 6 , 10 In a research with oral cavity and pharynx leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma data from 1884 until 1996 detected only 139 leiomyomas cases and the most common histological variant was AL.…”