Understanding Vascular Lesions

1. Understanding Vascular Lesions A vascular lesion is a deformation that forms in the skin that is the result of a large number of vessels under the skin. Lesions usually appear as a red rash-like entity on the skin. The causes of these lesions are unknown but some scientists theorize that this is the result of a birth defect. Researchers have also found that wearing tight clothes can cause lesions to occur due to the effect of the clothes cutting off circulation of blood flow in the area they are worn. Some scientists have found lesions to occur in pregnant women. As the infected individual gets older the lesion may grow to be an abnormal color that appears a darkish red. Vascular lesions can develop in individuals 30 years of age or older. Vascular lesions are found on the head and neck, and in some cases can be found on the face, arms, and legs. There are also various types of vascular lesions that are particularly dangerous and can have a serious effect on the central nervous system. Cavernous Lesions As the name suggests, this type of lesion turns into a cavern-like anomaly in which the lesion will slow down the blood flow to the part of the body it has inhabited. Cavernous lesions are generally found clumped together in the brain. But cavernous lesions can be found in the spine and, very rarely, will develop in the eye. The leakage of blood from this type lesion is a common symptom of its appearance. The detection of this lesion can be a sign of illness and possibly multiple complications. Venous Lesions This type of vascular lesion is a bizarre one because it is comprised of the lymphs and the veins of different parts of the body. This can be called an irregular combination of veins and unlike most lesions this doesn’t generally extend to actual blood vessels. The cause of this lesion is said to be due to some kind of infection that cuts off the cells that form in the veins. Because of this, a lump under the skin may develop. This lump can grow to the size of a small tennis ball on the arms and legs. If these kinds of lesions grow to an abnormal size, the risk of forming a blood clot or rupture can occur. Capillary Telangiectasia This type of lesion is found underneath the normal tissue in the brain. This type of lesion can be found anywhere in the brain and sometimes in the spinal cord. An MRI needs to be performed in order to detect this kind of lesion.

2. How Lesions are Treated Surgery is recommended for many of these lesions, but surgeons find it difficult to remove some of these lesions simply because of where they are. For skin lesions, surgeons can generally remove the infected layer of skin and maybe some of the surrounding skin. This is often a viable option because the skin can grow back in the area that was once infected. But for the brain and spine this is a totally different story. Given that the lesion is so close to the central nervous system of the infected, if the surgeon makes a tiny mistake that mistake can cause brain damage. What surgeons usually do is they try to stop the lesion by closing the blood flow to that lesion. Article Source: http://americanhealthcaretoday.com/understanding-vascular-lesions/