CALIBER-PERSISTENT LABIAL ARTERY: REPORT OF A CASE WITH EMPHASIS ON HISTOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS

Caliber-persistent labial artery consists of an expanded part of the main branch of the labial artery that penetrates the submucosal tissue without loss of caliber. A 67-year-old woman presented a lesion on the upper lip, pulsating with no painful symptomatology, with implantation in the submucosa. The patient had no history of allergies and systemic diseases. At histopathologic analysis, a thick artery with a stenotic lumen was seen, where there was anatomic preservation of all structures. At the periphery of the adventitial layer, structures suggestive of primary and secondary lymphoid follicles with apparent formations of germinal centers were observed. Immunohistochemical staining for CD20, CD68, CD4, desmin, and CD34 was performed to confirm the structures suggestive of lymphoid follicles, and histochemical staining for Verhoeff was performed. The histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings escape the normality pattern, provoking discussions about what would they represent in the pathogenesis of this lesion.