Intravascular fasciitis involving the flank of a 21-year-old female: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Intravascular fasciitis is an uncommon variant of nodular fasciitis, which is a reactive proliferative lesion of myofibroblasts. Since its identification in 1981, only 32 cases of intravascular fasciitis have been reported in the English literature. The lesion is commonly located in the head, neck, and extremities, with only three cases arising from the trunk. Here we report the fourth case involving the trunk (the flank area).

CASE PRESENTATION

A 21-year-old African-American female presented with a subcutaneous mass on her flank. Grossly, the mass was red-tan, oval, and well-demarcated, measuring approximately 0.5 cm in diameter. Microscopically, the mass was composed of spindle cells arranged in a swirling and intersecting pattern inside the lumens of two blood vessels. It extended through the vascular walls into the surrounding fibroadipose tissue; in some sections, the spindle cells were intermixed with the perivascular fibrous tissue. Elastin stain revealed remnants of elastic lamina partially surrounding the lesion. The nuclei of the spindle cells were relatively uniform with tapered ends and prominent nucleoli. No significant mitotic activity was observed. Multinucleated giant cells were scattered among the spindle cells, along with infiltrating lymphocytes and extravasated red blood cells. Immunohistochemical stains showed the spindle cells were positive for smooth muscle actin, focally positive for muscle specific actin, and negative for S-100, confirming their myofibroblastic differentiation. The overall morphological and immunohistochemical features are consistent with intravascular fasciitis.

CONCLUSION

By reporting this rare case, we would like to raise the awareness of this non-neoplastic lesion to avoid misdiagnosing it as a sarcoma with vascular invasion. Previously reported similar cases were also reviewed and compared with this case.