LVII Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a vascular disease characterized by dilatation of arterioles, capillaries and venules into angiomata. These lesions are hereditary and the ectatic vessels frequently bleed spontaneously or after the slightest trauma. Although these lesions appear in all parts of the body, one of the most common sites is the oronasal cavity. Since nasal lesions are especially susceptible to injury, severe epistaxis frequently brings patients with this disease to the otolaryngologist. This offers him an opportunity to make a definitive diagnosis and to initiate studies to determine whether similar lesions exist elsewhere in the body.