Dermatoscopic features differentiating among port wine stain, arteriovenous malformation, and capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome: to detect potential fast-flow vascular malformations at an early stage

To the Editor: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformations (CM-AVMs), and port wine stains (PWSs) are different vascular anomalies that can present with similar morphology but differ in genetics, pathogenesis, progression, treatment, and prognosis. 1 Jacobs A.H. Walton R.G. The incidence of birthmarks in the neonate. Pediatrics. 1976; 58: 218-222 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar , 2 Eerola I. Boon L.M. Mulliken J.B. et al. Capillary malformation–arteriovenous malformation, a new clinical and genetic disorder caused by RASA1 mutations. Am J Hum Genet. 2003; 73: 1240-1249 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (550) Google Scholar , 3 Lee S.J. Kim H.Y. Kim B.S. et al. Capillary malformation of port-wine stain: differentiation from early arteriovenous malformation by histopathological clues. Am J Dermatopathol. 2012; 34: 523-528 Crossref PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar Early AVMs and CM-AVMs may mimic PWS clinically, leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate management. In this study, we sought to determine the dermatoscopic features of AVMs and CM-AVMs, compare them with those of PWSs (controls) in a blinded manner, and detect potential fast-flow vascular malformations (FFVMs) at an early stage.