Hemangiomas account for only 0.4% to 0.6% of all parotid tumors, making them extremely rare in adults. Unlike pediatric parotid hemangiomas, those in adults typically present as asymptomatic swellings of the parotid, have no skin discoloration, and usually do not regress spontaneously. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis of parotid hemangiomas in adults before surgical excision is generally challenging. Herein, we present 3 cases of adult parotid hemangiomas. The patients all received parotidectomies with tumor resection. Histopathological analysis of the resected specimens revealed numerous dilated, thin- or thick-walled (small, large, or variably sized) vessels lined with flattened endothelial cells. A diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma of the parotid gland was established only after the histopathological analysis. Parotid cavernous hemangiomas in adults are rare and often misdiagnosed before surgical resection. Clinical presentation and imaging features on ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography may support an accurate preoperative diagnosis. Surgical resection proved a suitable treatment approach for our 3 cases.
Keywords: hemangioma; parotid gland; salivary gland; vascular tumor.