Cherry angioma D18.01

Very common and usually multiple in older people, harmless, asymptomatic, benign vascular neoplasms. They are conspicuous by their bright red color and cause concern.

Especially the torso.

Completely asymptomatic, 0.1-0, cm in size, sharply circumscribed, initially bright red, later dark red to purple, soft, flat, rarely distinctly protuberant papules with a smooth, shiny epithelial surface. They may occur singly, but also very numerous. Complete fading under glass spatula pressure is not always possible (this in contrast to vascular ectasias). In case of thrombosis (e.g. after banal trauma) a senile angioma may appear as a hard, black papule (DD: melanoma, malignant, nodular).

An eruptive appearance of "senile" angiomas may be an expression of a systemic disease (e.g., a lymphoproliferative systemic disease). They may be associated with POEMS syndrome or Castleman's lymphoma.

1. Aghassi D (2000) Time-sequence histologic imaging of laser-treated cherry angiomas with in vivo confocal microscopy. J Am Acad Dermatol 43: 37-41
2. Cohen AD et al (2001) Cherry angiomas associated with exposure to bromides. Dermatology 202: 52-53
3. Fajgenbaum DC et al (2014) Eruptive cherry hemangiomatosis associated with multicentric Castleman disease: a case report and diagnostic clue. JAMA Dermatol 149:204-208.
4. Gupta G, Bilsland D (2000) A prospective study of the impact of laser treatment on vascular lesions. Br J Dermatol 143: 356-359