Vascular spider: a cutaneous manifestation of hyperdynamic blood flow in hepatic cirrhosis.

Arteriography and gas analysis of blood aspirated from a vascular spider in a patient with hepatic cirrhosis were done before excision and histologic examination of the lesion. This study supports earlier work suggesting that a spider angioma is a cutaneous manifestation of a generalized hyperdynamic circulation in hepatic cirrhosis. Moreover, based upon a variety of experimental and clinical observations on the splanchnic circulation in cirrhosis, it is suggested that the portal hypertension blood flow encounters the obstacle posed by the scarred liver ("active congestion").