An enlarged intramuscular venous malformation in the femoral region successfully treated with complete resection

Abstract

Introduction: Intramuscular venous malformations have been previously described as intramuscular hemangiomas, and various therapies have been applied for their treatment. This condition is relatively rare, and therefore, physicians often struggle to determine the appropriate therapy. We presented a case of an enlarged intramuscular venous malformation relapsed after surgery successfully treated with complete resection.

Presentation of case: We presented a case of an enlarged intramuscular venous malformation with postoperative recurrence successfully treated with complete resection. A 63-year-old woman presented with a subcutaneous mass in the right distal thigh. She experienced swelling in the right thigh 19 years previously and was diagnosed with a venous aneurysm. Three-dimensional CT angiography confirmed the presence of an irregular vessel assumed to be the feeding vessel, which was dendritically branched from the deep femoral artery. We performed surgical complete resection. Her pain and gait disturbance improved after surgery, and she has not experienced recurrence of the mass for the past 2 years.

Discussion: Conservative therapy is initially used for venous malformations. Sclerotherapy, laser therapy, or surgical resection is considered after low-dose aspirin therapy, in combination with the use of compressive garments. Surgical resection is indicated for completely resectable lesions and is appropriate for large lesions in terms of cosmetic benefit. However, partial resection may result in excessive bleeding or postoperative recurrence.

Conclusion: The therapy for venous malformations should be decided based on the degree of disability in daily living, adjacent tissue damage, and cosmetic concerns after appropriate differential diagnostic investigations and biopsy.

Keywords: Intra-muscular haemangioma; Surgical resection; Venous malformation.