Spider hemangioma

What it means

A form of telangiectasis characterized by a central elevated red dot the size of a pinhead, representing an arteriole, with numerous small blood vessels that radiate out thereby resembling the legs of a spider. Characteristically, compression of the central arteriole causes the entire lesion to blanch, and the lesion quickly refills once the compression is released.

Spider hemangiomas are up to a few centimeters in diameter.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category