Primary Cavernous Haemagioma of the Skull: Report of 2 Cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cavernous haemangiomas are rare benign bone tumours and those at the level of cranial bones are even rarer. The vertebral column is most often affected, followed by the skull. Calvarial cavernous haemangioma is rare, comprising about 0.2% of all benign neoplasms of the skull. CASE REPORT: We describe here, 2 patients with calvarial cavernous haemangioma that were localized frontally and parietally. The patients were of 45 years and 50 years of age, came with the history of dizziness and headache along with slow growing mass on frontal and parietal region respectively. The mass was soft to firm in consistency with freely mobile skin above the cavernoma sites. A computed tomography scan showed an osteolytic lesion with erosion of tabula externa. Total resection of the lesions and cranioplasty were performed in both the patients.Histopathology of the surgical sample revealed primary osseous cavernous type haemangioma showing large, thin walled, dilated capillary spaces lined by flattened endothelial cells without evidence of malignancy. CONCLUSION: Skull cavernous haemangioma are rare benign tumours. It should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of malignant skull lesions. Histopathological confirmation after surgical resection of tumour is the definitive method of diagnosis.