Capillary haemangioma of the parotid in an adult: an unusual case and a review of the literature

Abstract

Haemangioma of the parotid gland is a well-described condition that accounts for 50 per cent of parotid tumours presenting during the first year of life. Parotid haemangiomas in adults are much rarer and until now only the cavernous variety have been reported. We report a case of a capillary haemangioma in an adult and discuss the literature.

A rare case of intramuscular haemangioma in a six-year-old boy - a diagnostic dilemma

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is thought to be the most helpful investigation in the diagnosis of intramuscular haemangiomas. CT was diagnostic in this case although previous reports have not found it as useful (Hughes and Oates, 1997).…”

“…Although haemangiomas as a whole are amongst the most common tumours found in infancy (Robertson et al, 1991), intramuscular haemangiomas occur most frequently in the third decade, with less than one fifth in one study occurring in the first decade (Welch and Hengerer, 1979). The commonest site for haemangiomas is in the parotid or masseter region (Conley and Clairmont, 1977;Wolf et al, 1985;Hughes and Oates, 1997) especially in children, and they are thought to recur infrequently (Enzinger and Weiss, 1988). Our case is interesting in that it occurred at a rare site at a particularly young age, out of keeping with previously published findings.…”

Parotid salivary gland haemangioma in paediatric patient: surgical option

“…The majority of parotid tumours in the first year of life are haemangiomas, which make up about 50% of cases. 5,6 Parotid haemangiomas have the potential to grow significantly, severely deforming the face. Furthermore, the remaining effects of the tumour, such as loose skin, scarring, and telangiectasias, may prevent the cheek skin and underlying tissue from returning to their usual appearance after involution.…”

Sudden parotid swelling due to spontaneous haemorrhage

“…Twenty to 25 per cent of these, are malignant (Richardson et al, 1975;Nettle and Orell, 1989). In children, parotid haemangiomas account for over 50 per cent of salivary gland tumours compared to only two per cent in adults (George et al, 1991;Hughes and Oates, 1997). Parotid swellings in children, may more rarely be due to benign follicular hyperplasia of adjacent lymph nodes, cat-scratch disease, congenital cysts, or atypical mycobacterial infection (Lauretano et al, 1992).…”