ANGIOmYOmA Of THE HARD PALATE - REPORT Of A RARE CASE

Angiomyoma is defined as a painful, benign subcutaneous or deep dermal tumor composed of mature smooth muscle bundles that are surrounded and interlaced by vascular channels. Smooth muscle neoplasms can be classified into solid leiomyomas, angioleiomyomas (vascular leiomyomas) and epitheloid leiomyomas (leiomyoblastomas). Among these types, the vascular leiomyoma is the most common subtype in the oral cavity. It may appear at any age with the greatest incidence in the 4th and 5th decades of life. The common manifestation is a slow-growing, asymptomatic, submucosal mass. The diagnosis is only possible through histopathological examination requiring special staining. The treatment of choice is the surgical excision and no recurrence is usually seen, though malignant transformation of these tumors has been reported. Hence a thorough examination, knowledge and follow-up must be warranted in this soft tissue tumor. In this article, we present a rare case of an angiomyoma in the right side of the hard palate with description of its clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics.