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Fibro-adipose vascular malformation (FAVA) in forearm: a successful surgical approach and literature review

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Abstract

Fibro-adipose vascular anomaly (FAVA) is a new entity characterized by fibro-adipose infiltration of muscle, pain, and contracture. The main differential diagnosis includes venous malformation and intramuscular hemangioma. Early treatment and physical therapy are of paramount importance to prevent severe contractures, muscle fibrosis, and limb atrophy. We present a case report of a 24-year-old female patient with FAVA in the volar aspect of left arm, presented with limitation to pronation and supination and pain. The patient was operated in 2017 in our center, performing a total resection of the mass and 2-year follow-up. We describe the criteria that we performed to diagnose the left forearm FAVA in this patient, based on the history; the magnetic resonance imaging, which demonstrated muscle replaced by heterogeneous soft tissue, intramuscular phlebolit, and dilated vessels; and histological images that showed a vascular proliferation associated with adipocytes and dense fibrous tissue replacing and infiltrating the skeletal muscle. En bloc resection of the mass was performed successfully, and it gave excellent results with recovery of limitation and improvement of pain and swelling that were maintained at 2-year follow-up. Surgery is a reliable and curative option in FAVA and could be the only one for long-term control of this entity.

Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic; diagnostic study.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Susana López, Andreé Ibarra, Carmen Vega & Jaume Masià

  2. Department of Dermatology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Eulalia Baselga

  3. Department of Pathology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Caterina Fumagalli

  4. Department of Radiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Sandra Valverde

Authors
  1. Susana López
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  2. Andreé Ibarra
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  3. Eulalia Baselga
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  4. Carmen Vega
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  5. Caterina Fumagalli
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  6. Sandra Valverde
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  7. Jaume Masià
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Susana López, Andreé Ibarra, Eulalia Baselga, Carmen Vega, Caterina Fumagalli, Sandra Valverde, and Jaume Masia. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Andreé Ibarra, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andreé Ibarra.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from the individual participant included in the study. Informed written consent was obtained from the patient in this case report for inclusion of clinical data and photographs.

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López, S., Ibarra, A., Baselga, E. et al. Fibro-adipose vascular malformation (FAVA) in forearm: a successful surgical approach and literature review. Eur J Plast Surg 43, 495–500 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-019-01620-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-019-01620-z

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