Malformation

Congenital or later manifesting malformation of one or more organs, or individual or multiple components of one or more organs, as a result of defective or faulty development from the "embryonic plant" (e.g. lymphangioma circumscriptum). In contrast to neoplasia, the growth of a malformation is never autonomous but regulated.

Some authors differentiate between malformation and hamartoma or nevus, but the differences cannot be justified clinically or etiopathogenetically (e.g. nevus flammeus as a vascular malformation). Thus, it makes little sense to distinguish between malformation and hamartoma or malformation and nevus, especially since the term "nevus" essentially refers to the dermatological terminology (see nevus below) and thus occupies a special position.

In the Anglo-American language area the term "malformation" e.g. for vascular malformations(" vascular malformations") is becoming increasingly widespread.

1. Zelger B (2003) Nerve-muscle-cartilage-bone and fatty tissue tumors of the skin. In: Kerl H et al (eds.) Histopathology of the skin. Springer Publishing House, Berlin Heidelberg New York, S. 816