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Background: Vascular malformations (VaMs) are caused by errors in vascular morphogenesis. Diagnosis and treatment can be complex. Few specialized centers care for these patients, and limited literature exists regarding their characteristics and clinical course. The vascular anomalies clinic (VAC) at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (National Institute for Pediatrics) is a multidisciplinary team and has been a reference center for patients with VaMs since 2012. We sought to describe the characteristics of patients cared for at the VAC, types of VaMs, treatments used, and clinical course. Methods: This was a descriptive, observational, retrospective, and cross-sectional study conducted from 2012 to 2022. Results: We included 435 patients with VaMs; the median age of presentation was 1 month. The most frequent signs and symptoms were increased volume (97.2%), superficial color change (65.5%), and pain (43.3%). The most common VaMs were lymphatic (36.7%) and venolymphatic (18.3%). Sclerotherapy was the most frequent treatment (73.4%), followed by medical treatment with sirolimus (18.5%); response to both was excellent/good in > 85% of cases. Conclusion: In this retrospective study of children with VaMs, we found that low-flow malformations were the most common, and sclerotherapy and sirolimus were the most frequently used treatments. The therapeutic response was excellent/good in most cases.

Background: Intramuscular vascular malformations (IVMs) are rare developmental congenital structural abnormalities. Their clinical diagnosis is difficult, and imaging studies are essential to determine the type and extent of vessels involved. Treatment can be challenging and must be managed by a multidisciplinary team. Methods: A descriptive, observational, retrospective, longitudinal study of clinical records of patients diagnosed with IVMs who were evaluated at the vascular anomalies clinic from January 2011 to December 2021 was performed. Demographic, clinical, imaging, diagnosis, treatment, and response data were collected. Results: Seven patients (five females and two males) with a mean age of 13.66 years (standard deviation 5.82 years) were included in the study. In all cases, the clinical diagnosis was venous and lymphatic malformation. The radiological findings were dilated and tortuous vascular structures or multilobulated lesions with septa inside, with or without vascular flow; these findings allowed diagnosis in all cases. Treatment modalities included sclerotherapy in five patients, surgical resection in two, medical treatment with sirolimus in three, and surveillance in one. Subsequent clinical evolution was favorable in all patients, with decreased pain in six (partial in four and total in two) and size reduction in one patient. Conclusion: IVMs in our pediatric population most frequently affect the lower extremities. The main symptoms and signs were pain on exertion and volume increase. Treatment can be challenging given the extension and depth of the malformations, so a combination of therapeutic modalities may be necessary to obtain the best outcome.

Background: Vascular malformations (VaM) are a heterogeneous group of disorders resulting from the dysmorphogenesis of blood vessels. Although correct classification is relevant to providing adequate treatment according to evidence-based medicine, diagnostic terminology may be misused or need clarification. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to measure agreement and concordance between referral and final confirmed diagnoses of 435 pediatric patients with VaM newly referred to the multidisciplinary Vascular Anomalies Clinic (VAC) using Fleiss kappa (κ) concordance analysis. Results: We found fair concordance between referral and confirmed diagnoses of VaM (κ 0.306, p < 0.001). Lymphatic malformations (LM) and VaM associated with other anomalies showed moderate diagnostic concordance (κ 0.593, p < 0.001 and κ 0.469, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Continuing medical education strategies are required to improve physician knowledge and diagnostic accuracy in patients with VaM.

Los exantemas de la infancia son erupciones cutáneas localizadas o generalizadas que pueden ser causados por virus, bacterias, medicamentos o estar asociados con enfermedades sistémicas. La mayoría de los exantemas en la infancia son diagnosticados y tratados por el médico de atención primaria y por el pediatra, por lo que es deseable que ambos estén familiarizados con los exantemas clásicos y los atípicos.

El cruzar en nuestra existencia con un ser humano como el Dr. Ramón Ruiz Maldonado, hombre culto, sensato, ingenioso y maestro en toda la extensión de la palabra, ilumina y deja huella. Cuando llega el momento de su partida, por una enfermedad prolongada que minó su cuerpo y terminó por encarcelar su mente, la sensación de vacío y nostalgia es inevitable; sólo puede verse hasta cierto punto aliviada por un profundo agradecimiento, ya que aún sin estar presente, su esencia vive en nuestro corazón.