A Case of Cavernous Hemangioma of the Spleen

Terumitsu Sawai¹⁾, Tadaomi Kunizaki, Haruhiko Nakao, Hiroshi Shingu, Tsunehisa Ishibashi, Yoji Sugamura, Toshiaki Torigoe, Masao Tomita²⁾, Ichiro Sekine³⁾

Department of Surgery, Sasebo Chuo Hospital
*The First Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine
**Department of Pathology, Atomic Disease Institute, Nagasaki University School of Medicine

Although cavernous hemangioma is the most common benign tumor of the spleen, it is a rare disease in clinical practice. Including our own case, 66 cases of splenic hemangioma have been reported inJapan. This paper reports a case of splenic hemangioma together with discussions of its ultrasonographic and radiographic findings. A 63-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of vague dyspepsia, general fatigue and weight loss. The blood chemistry profile was normal except for an elevated CA-125 level 94.2 U/ml. Splenic ultrasonography showed a well-defined hypoechoic mass with tubulous sonodense structures associated with posterior enhancement. Computed tomography revealed a low-density mass which was not enhanced after injection of contrast medium. Selective angiography disclosed an avascular lesion. Under the suspicion of a splenic lymphagioma, splenectomy was carried out. The resected specimen showed a 3.6×3.5 cm multilocular cyst filled with a bloody fluid. The pathological specimen revealed the typical pattern of cavernous hemangioma.

Key words
hemangioma of the spleen, cavernous hemangioma, splenic cyst

Reprint requests
Terumitsu Sawai The First Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine
7-4 Sakamoto-machi, Nagasaki, 852 JAPAN

Accepted
November 20, 1991

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