Presence of Nerve Bundle: A diagnostic criteria for ArterioVenous Malformations

Vascular Malformations are congenital anomalies resulting from errors during embryonic vessel development and fetal morphogenesis (approximately 48 days of human embryogenesis). Approximately 40% venous malformations are located in head and neck region. AV malformations are complex network of inter communicating arterial and venous structures. Hence, pathologists rely on elastic stains as ancillary tools for making definitive diagnosis of ArterioVenous Malformations, because the arteries and arterioles are an integral part of AVMS. The presence of intralesional nerve in AVMS is an additional diagnostic criteria and can be readily used to differentiate AVMS from hemangiomas, even in H and E stained tissue sections. Here is an unusual Case of a 21yrs old female patient who reported to the department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, The Oxford Dental College, Bangalore, with a chief complaint of swelling on the left side of the cheek.