Intracranial capillary hemangioma in an elderly patient

Surg Neurol Int. 2015 Oct 23;6(Suppl 21):S539-42. doi: 10.4103/2152-7806.168066. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Background: Capillary hemangiomas are neoplasms involving skin and soft tissue in infants. These lesions rarely involved an intracranial space and reported age distribution ranges from infancy to middle age. We report an extremely rare case of rapidly rising intracranial capillary hemangioma in an elderly woman.

Case description: The 82-year-old woman presented with vomiting, reduced level of consciousness, and worsening mental state. Computed tomography showed a contrast-enhanced extra-axial lesion in the left frontal operculum, although no intracranial mass lesion was identifiable from magnetic resonance imaging taken 2 years earlier. Complete surgical excision was performed and histopathological examination diagnosed benign capillary hemangioma consisting of a variety of dilated capillary blood vessels lined by endothelial cells.

Conclusion: This is the first description of rapid growth of an intracranial capillary hemangioma in an elderly woman. These lesions are exceedingly rare in the elderly population, but still show the capacity for rapid growth. Complete excision would prevent further recurrence.

Keywords: Capillary hemangioma; elderly; intracranial.