Ultrasound Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Vascular Malformations and Tumours

Abstract

Soft tissue vascular malformations and tumours are a heterogeneous group of lesions. Some of them may only be transient, such as vascular birthmarks in newborns. In about one percent of children however a vascular soft tissue lesion needs further diagnostic work-up. Angiomateous lesions may even have a malignant potential and so an exact assessment is especially needed to define the prognosis of a lesion, as well as for planning of efficient treatment. Highresolution ultrasound (HR-US) together with Color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) and spectral wave analysis (SWA) -at least as a first line modality -allow for an exact and reliable differentiation of such lesions in most cases. In addition HR-US is well tolerated and is suitable for follow-up assessment especially in children. Besides its diagnostic impact, HR-US is also well suited for guided interventional procedures. HR-US guided percutaneous sclerotherapy seems very promising in this context also with regard to other therapeutic options.In this review the diagnostic importance and value of HR-US are discussed in detail.

Gray‐scale and color Doppler sonographic appearances of nonsubungual soft‐tissue glomus tumors

“…In hemangiomas, vascularization is not as abundant as in GTs and there are blood‐filled lakes. Hemangioma is more heterogeneous in echotexture, has a more irregular margin than GT, and does not show the “vascular stalk sign.”7 AVMs are usually poorly demarcated from surrounding tissues. In addition, AVMs show typical arteriovenous shunting 7…”

Peripheral limb vascular malformations: an update of appropriate imaging and treatment options of a challenging condition

“…For very small or superficial lesions, for example, in the hand, fingers or feet, a higher frequency range (up to 17 MHz) provides better resolution ( Figure 4). 11,28,29 The modality is, however, limited by operator experience and assessment of deep lesions, especially adjacent to the bone, can be challenging with underestimation of the complexity and size of lesions.…”

Distinguishing high-flow from low-flow vascular malformations using maximum intensity projection images in dynamic magnetic resonance angiography – comparison to other MR-based techniques

“…There are many imaging modalities used to assess the type and extent of vascular malformations. Ultrasonography is an essential and widely available tool that is used to examine vascular malformations (5,6). It allows both venous and arterial flow analysis but is limited in the assessment of deep lesions and lesions adjacent to air or bone structures (7).…”