Absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors around the affected vessels of angioma serpiginosum: case report.

Angioma serpiginosum is a disorder of dilated superficial dermal capillaries. The disease is considered by some authors to be a consequence of increasing levels of estrogens. We present a case of angioma serpiginosum in a 46-year-old White woman. The lesions consisting of red-purple puncta were grouped as vaguely annular and angular patches with serpiginous borders, located on the right side of the neck, the right side of the abdomen, and on the left arm. Histopathologic examination revealed clusters of dilated capillaries in the dermal papillae, without endothelial proliferation. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain-positive deposits were noted around the affected blood vessels. However, immunohistochemical analysis revealed the absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors within the involved blood vessels. Hormonal assays were also normal. Our observations suggest that a hormonal stimulus probably plays no role in the pathogenesis of angioma serpiginosum. The significance of PAS-positive deposits as a diagnostic marker for angioma serpiginosum needs further confirmation.