Who are you, in one plain sentence?
The Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program (CVAP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a nationally designated Frontier Program — one of CHOP’s highest-priority research and clinical programs — that combines world-class multidisciplinary clinical care with a research program laser-focused on the genetic and molecular basis of complex vascular anomalies, including active clinical trials for conditions where standard treatments fall short.
Who do you see?
CHOP describes its scope as children with vascular anomalies, and their published ISSVA registry listing notes they also serve adults. The program is actively using telehealth with good results — video visits are available and their site describes this as an established part of their intake process. Worth knowing for the first contact: the fastest way to get an appointment is to complete the referral form on their website and have a physician who knows your case complete a condition summary. A self-referral with physician documentation is the stated preferred path, not a cold call.
What conditions do you treat?
CVAP describes treating every type of vascular anomaly, including those that are very rare or very complex — their own characterization. Specifically named: conditions of the veins, arteries, and lymphatic system causing overgrowth, malformations, and lesions. Their research program focuses particularly on PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum, extracranial arteriovenous malformations, and complex lymphatic anomalies — the three most complex forms identified by the NIH-funded ARDVARC network, which CHOP leads. Worth asking whether your condition type is within the scope of any current clinical trials.
What does your team look like?
CVAP was explicitly designed so that clinical care and research work closely together — the research program directly informs treatment decisions, and clinical findings directly inform research questions. The team brings together specialists from oncology, dermatology, plastic surgery, interventional radiology, and more. CHOP notes two pediatric interventional radiologists with a special interest in treating vascular malformations. Psychology and social work support services are part of the team. Worth confirming which specialists would be directly involved in your child’s or your own evaluation.
What can you actually do here?
Clinical capabilities include the standard multidisciplinary range — laser, sclerotherapy, interventional radiology procedures, surgical intervention, systemic pharmacologic management. The distinguishing capability at CVAP is access to investigational therapies — specifically targeted agents based on genetic mutation profiles, including mTOR inhibitors and other drugs that have shown effectiveness in PIK3CA-pathway driven conditions. Their published record documents sirolimus precision dosing in pediatric patients, experimental drug therapy for lymphatic channel remodeling, and drug repurposing for rare lymphatic disorders.
How do I get in?
Complete the referral form at chop.edu/centers-programs/vascular-anomalies-program and have a physician complete a condition summary. ISSVA-listed contact: adamsdm@chop.edu (Dr. Denise Adams, Director). Telehealth appointments actively available. Worth confirming insurance acceptance and whether the referral form process is current before assembling records.
What makes you different?
CVAP’s designation as a CHOP Frontier Program signals institutional commitment at the highest level — these programs are CHOP’s bets on where the next breakthroughs will come from. The NIH designation of CHOP as headquarters of ARDVARC, a Rare Disease Clinical Research Center focused on the most complex vascular anomalies, is the external validation of that bet. For families navigating KTS, CLOVES, PROS-spectrum conditions, or complex lymphatic anomalies where standard treatments have not been adequate, CVAP’s focus on pharmacologic targeted therapies based on genetic profiling represents a distinct clinical pathway that most other programs cannot offer. The program has documented transformative outcomes — including a patient whose internal bleeding was stopped by an experimental drug that completely remodeled her lymphatic channels.
We found in our community’s experience that CVAP is particularly important for patients who have already worked with a standard multidisciplinary center and still don’t have an adequate management plan — especially those whose conditions have a suspected genetic driver. If you’ve been told there is no further treatment, CVAP is worth contacting.
In Their Own Voice
CHOP describes CVAP as relentlessly pursuing a future where countless more patients will benefit from a game-changing approach where treatment is personalized based on genetics. Their treatment approach has evolved as they have learned more about vascular anomalies — early on they understood the need to bring in specialists from hematology-oncology and dermatology alongside plastic surgery and interventional radiology, a decision that shaped what CVAP became. The program has treated patients with vascular anomalies for over 25 years. They work closely with the Jill and Mark Fishman Center for Lymphatic Disorders for patients with lymphatic leaks and flow disorders.
Source: chop.edu/centers-programs/vascular-anomalies-program · chop.edu/why-choose-us (CVAP) · chop.edu/your-childs-experience (CVAP) · ISSVA Multidisciplinary Teams Registry · CHOP Research Institute CVAP page. Verified: July 2026.
Pedigree
| Program | Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program (CVAP) |
| Designation | CHOP Frontier Program · NIH Rare Disease Clinical Research Center (ARDVARC headquarters) |
| Address | Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
| Program URL | chop.edu/centers-programs/vascular-anomalies-program |
| ISSVA Contact | Denise M. Adams, MD — adamsdm@chop.edu |
| Telehealth | Active — video visits available with documented good outcomes |
| Patients | Children and Adults (per ISSVA listing) |
| ISSVA Registry | Listed — Multidisciplinary Teams |
| Research Focus | PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum · Extracranial AVMs · Complex lymphatic anomalies · Targeted pharmacologic therapies · Sirolimus precision dosing |
| Research Leadership | CaNVAS (multi-institutional consortium) · ARDVARC (NIH-funded, CHOP as headquarters) |
| Associated Program | Jill and Mark Fishman Center for Lymphatic Disorders — for lymphatic leaks and flow disorders |
| Founded | 25+ years treating vascular anomalies at CHOP; CVAP Frontier designation 2019 |
Verification & Catalog Status
Confidence: Tier 1 — Verified Institutional | Source: Institution website · ISSVA Registry | Last Verified: July 2026 | Catalog Cross-Reference: Pending — see Care4-Rare Compendium