Port-wine stain is another name for which condition?

Port-wine stain is another name for which condition?

• A. Sturge-Weber
• B. Nevus flammeus
• C. Spider telangiectasia
• D. Hemangioma

Answer: (B)

Port-wine stain is a congenital capillary malformation, classically called nevus flammeus. It appears at birth as a flat, well-defined pink to dark red patch in the superficial dermis due to dilation of capillaries that persists for life and typically does not involute like some infantile hemangiomas. The color can deepen with age, and involvement of the face in the trigeminal distribution raises concern for Sturge-Weber syndrome, which includes possible leptomeningeal angiomatosis and neurological complications. This distinguishes it from other vascular findings: true hemangiomas are proliferative lesions that appear after birth and often regress, while spider telangiectasia describes small, spider-like dilated vessels usually related to other conditions and not the congenital capillary malformation seen with port-wine stains.

Port-wine stain is a congenital capillary malformation, classically called nevus flammeus. It appears at birth as a flat, well-defined pink to dark red patch in the superficial dermis due to dilation of capillaries that persists for life and typically does not involute like some infantile hemangiomas. The color can deepen with age, and involvement of the face in the trigeminal distribution raises concern for Sturge-Weber syndrome, which includes possible leptomeningeal angiomatosis and neurological complications. This distinguishes it from other vascular findings: true hemangiomas are proliferative lesions that appear after birth and often regress, while spider telangiectasia describes small, spider-like dilated vessels usually related to other conditions and not the congenital capillary malformation seen with port-wine stains.