Cavernous hemangioma of the auricle

Abstract

A 40-year-old woman was admitted to our clinic for treatment of the physical appearance and pulsation of a mass in her right auricle (Fig 1). The mass had been present since birth; however, in recent years the pulsatile characteristic of the lesion had become more annoying. The lobule portion of the auricle particularly bothered her.Surgical resection of the auricle was performed. The arteries and veins were first ligated, the lobule resected, and the auricle then reconstructed. A CO 2 laser was used to decrease the volume of the lesion at the helix and antihelix of the auricle. Venous thrombosis that occurred a few days after the procedure resolved with conservative therapy. The histopathologic diagnosis was cavernous hemangioma.Hemangiomas and vascular malformations are the most frequently observed benign tumors of infants and children. More than 50% of these tumors originating from blood vessels or vascular structures are located in the head and neck region. Hemangiomas are characterized by development after birth and have a tendency to proliferate, regress, and have specific endothelial characteristics that allow differentiation from vascular malformations. 1 In contrast, vascular malformations are usually noted at birth, grow according to body volume, and do not have a tendency to regress. 2 Cavernous hemangioma is usually an irregular, soft, bright red or deep purple papular nodular mass that is easily compressible. It increases in size when the patient strains or when there is an increase in intracranial pressure. Some lesions are associated with occult internal hemangioma or spinal cord arteriovenous malformations. When both superficial and deep elements are present, the lesion is referred to as a mixed hemangioma.

A Large Arteriovenous Malformation of the External Ear in an Adult: Report of a Case and Approach to Management

“…An extensive review of the MEDLINE database shows that fewer than 10 cases of vascular malformations involving the external auricle have been reported in adults. 13–20 In eight of these cases, the anomalies were vascular malformations of the slow‐flow type. Two cases, 13 including the present case, involved a large AVM in an adult patient, causing extensive disfigurement of the external ear.…”