Parkes Weber Syndrome (PWS) is an uncommon Congenital Vascular Malformation (CVM) similar to Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, but has its own distinct conditions. It was first described in 1907 by the physician Parkes Weber. It is only found in about 0.3% of the world population

Symptoms

Capillary Malformations

The most common effect of PWS is capillary malformations which are known as “port-wine stains”. They first appears as a red macular stain of the skin that darkens over the years. Capillary malformations are flat, cutaneous, slow-flowing lesions that are made of venous channels that are dilated or are increased in number.

Vascular anomalies

Both Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) and Arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) are fast-flowing vascular anomalies. They can be in the skin, muscle, bone, internal organs, and brain. AVMs and AVFs can cause bleeding, congestive heart failure, or neurological consequences. AVFs specifically cause the high output cardiac failure. AVMs originate while going through embryogenesis and they are rarely found to regress spontaneously. These complications can make PWS a life-threatening condition.