[The significance of adrenergic receptors for the development of nevus flammeus and nevus anemicus (author's transl)].

Examination of patients with nevus flammeus or nevus anemicus showed disturbed sensibility in the area of the nevus in the majority of cases. Histologically and with special technique of histochemistry and fluorescencemicroscopy there was no evidence for neurogenic lesions. However, signs of vegetative dysfunction were present: hyperhidrosis and absent reactivity of vasculature in the nevus area to vasoconstrictive and vasodilatatory stimuli. Based on these findings a disturbed regulation of vascular intramural adrenergic receptors seemed possible and really could be demonstrated by means of autoradiography. In both types of nevi only one of the adrenergic receptors could be marked with specific antagonists. Therefore the persistent vascular dilatation and constriction can be accounted for by the absence of one of these receptors. This abnormal distribution of receptors could be due to a developmental defect influenced by the "nerve growth factor".