Introduction
Hemangiomas are benign vascular neoplasms characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood vessels and can occur in any vascularized tissue, including skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, and bone. This report describes a case in a 71-year-old man, who underwent an excision of a lump from the left scalp, at the day surgery unit in King's College Hospital.
Methods
Ultrasound scan performed showed the palpable lump on the left side of the head corresponded to a well-defined, compressible and non-vascular lesion measuring 33 x 20 x 7 mm within the subcutaneous fat.
He was keen to have them removed so was placed on an elective list for which the surgery was performed in December 2024. A transverse incision was made directly over the lump in the left parietotemporal region. The lump was located beneath the muscular plane and was highly vascular, lacking the typical features of a lipoma. Appearing to be a possible hemangioma or hemangiolipoma.
Results
This was later confirmed by histopathology as a cavernous hemangioma with focal thrombosis and recanalization. This would be the 35th recorded case of an intramuscular hemangioma in the temporalis muscle as to our knowledge and current literature.
Conclusions
Intramuscular hemangiomas are rare, benign vascular tumors that mimic other soft tissue masses, posing diagnostic challenges. Imaging, particularly MRI, aids diagnosis, but histopathology is crucial for confirmation. Surgical excision ensures definitive treatment. This case involved a presumed lipoma, later identified intraoperatively as a cavernous hemangioma.
Authors
Akshay Singh Ramesh Babu
NHS, King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Priyanka Suresh
Yeovil District hospital NHS, Yeovil, United Kingdom
Ramesh Babu Chandrabhan Singh
Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Ryde, United Kingdom