Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita: a prospective study of 27 cases and review of the literature with proposal of diagnostic criteria.

BACKGROUND

Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita (CMTC) is a congenital vascular anomaly of unknown aetiology. About 300 cases have been reported in the literature. The rate of associated anomalies varies between 20% and 70%.

METHODS

We report a series of 27 children with CMTC, 18 of whom were followed-up prospectively for a median of 22 months (range 2 months-5.3 years).

RESULTS

Both genders were equally affected (13 male/14 female). The legs were involved in 20 cases (74%), the arms in 10 (37%), the face in 4 (15%) and the trunk in 18 (67%). There were 20 (74%) patients who presented with involvement of both trunk and limbs, a further 20 patients had lesions affecting the limb on only one side of the body, and 7 children (26%) had bilateral lesions; 1 child had generalized CMTC lesions. The involved areas covered a mean of 18% of body surface area (range 3-90). Associated anomalies were found in 15 patients (56%), with some exhibiting more than one. There was body asymmetry (hypertropy or hypotrophy of the affected limb) in nine patients (33%), seven patients had a variety of other malformations (congenital glaucoma, syndactyly, lipoma, macrocephaly, renal hypoplasia, Kartagener's syndrome), and other vascular lesions were present in four patients (15%). There was no correlation between the extent of skin lesions and likelihood of associated anomalies. On follow-up, fading of skin lesions was noted in 67% of our patients.

CONCLUSION

Body asymmetry is the most common anomaly associated with CMTC; other associations might be pure chance. In order to separate CMTC from other vascular malformations, notably Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome, we suggest diagnostic criteria for their differentiation.