Malformation

Congenital or later manifesting malformation of one or more organs, or individual or multiple components of one or more organs, as a result of defective or deficient development from the "embryonic anlage" (e.g. lymphangioma circumscriptum). In contrast to a neoplasia, the growth of a malformation is never autonomous but regulated.

Some authors differentiate between malformation and hamartoma or nevus, although the differences cannot be justified either clinically or etiopathogenetically (e.g. nevus flammeus as a vascular malformation). It therefore makes little sense to differentiate between malformation and hamartoma, or malformation and nevus, especially as the term "nevus" essentially refers to dermatological usage (see nevus below) and thus occupies a special position.

In the international language area, the term "vascular malformation" is becoming increasingly widespread, e.g. for vascular malformations (" vascular malformations").

1. Zelger B (2003) Nerve-muscle-cartilage-bone and fatty tissue tumors of the skin. In: Kerl H et al (eds.) Histopathology of the skin. Springer Publishing House, Berlin Heidelberg New York, S. 816