A venous malformation occurs when your veins are abnormally widened or tangled together. This can either occur at the surface of your skin or deep underneath your skin.

If a venous malformation grows and causes your skin to stretch, a painful skin lesion can form. In addition, widening of the vein may cause blood to pool and result in painful blood clots.

When a malformation grows very large or causes symptoms, including pain or bleeding, treatment is often recommended.

• Birthmark-like skin discoloration (port wine stains)
• Varicose veins
• Pain
• Decreased mobility
• Swelling
• Bleeding

Other symptoms may include coughing up blood, shortness of breath on exertion, deformity, brain abscess, stroke or infection.

Generally, AVMs can’t be cured — but they can be controlled.

How a vascular malformation is diagnosed depends on the symptoms, which in turn depend on the location of the malformation.

If your doctor suspects you have a vascular malformation, he or she will ask you questions about your medical history and perform a physical exam. A physical exam can provide your doctor with information about the type and extent of your malformation — especially for those found in extremities. You may also be asked about additional medical conditions that may be associated with the disease.

Deeper malformations, and those on the torso, are much more difficult to diagnose.

Some form of noninvasive imaging, such as a cardiac CT or cardiac MRI, is required to determine the type and extent of the malformation, as well as whether it:

• Involves any vital structures
• Can be removed surgically
• Affects adjacent tissues

Some vascular malformations require only close monitoring, while others require nonsurgical therapies. In some cases, a vascular malformation, or some portion of it, may be able to be removed via surgery.

Watchful Waiting of Vascular Malformations

If the malformation is small and causing only minor symptoms, your vascular specialist may take a watchful waiting approach, monitoring for changes in size and to see whether symptoms worsen or change over time.

Noninvasive Treatments for Vascular Malformations
In some cases, nonsurgical treatments can be used to shrink a vascular malformation or reduce the associated swelling and/or pain.

For instance, venous malformations can often be treated using compression stockings — which compress the skin to reduce swelling and pain. They may also potentially reduce the risk of blood clot formation.

In some cases, reconstructive surgery may be used to help restore form and function of areas affected by a vascular malformation or the treatment of a vascular malformation.