Controversies on the histopathological classification of vascular anomalies in children
Abstract
The main problem of diagnosis and treatment of haemangiomas and of vascular system defects is the lack of unified classification, systemised for all the specialists dealing with this issue. Existing histopathological and clinical classifications are inconsistent, often overusing the term haemangioma which is an infancy tumour. This can lead to an incorrect diagnosis which affects the course of the illness and the treatment. In this paper the authors describe the recommended classification of the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA), and compare it with histopathological classification of vascular tumours by WHO, and soft tissue tumour classification by the Association of Clinical Oncology. Furthermore, current methods of diagnosing vascular tumours and malformations are also discussed, with specific consideration of histopathological imaging.