We reviewed the histopathology of 13 cases of Kasabach-Merrit Syndrome (KMS). In 4 (31%) cases the predominant morphology was that of a tufted angioma (TA). Six (46%) cases were Kaposiform hemangioendotheliomas (KHE), and 3 (23%) cases showed an infantile (juvenile) hemangioma only. Immunostaining for CD34 and actin (HHF-35) was helpful in defining these types of hemangiomas. The TA was characterized by a proliferation of endothelial cells positive for CD34 with a minimal component of actin-positive cells. KHE showed a paucity of immunoreactive cells; only the luminal endothelial cells were positive for CD34. In three cases with the morphology of infantile hemangiomas, actin-positive cells outnumbered the CD34-positive cells. Our findings confirm the observation that the underlying vascular lesion in KMS is usually not an infantile hemangioma as was originally thought, but variants of hemangiomas such as TA and KHE (77% of 13 KMS cases). Infantile hemangioma was the phenotypic substrate of KMS in only 3 of 13 cases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.