Anastomosing hemangioma of the liver: a case series

Diagnostic approach to hepatic vascular lesions: a paediatric perspective

The pathological evaluation of hepatic vascular lesions in children requires special consideration. Inconsistent terminology, rarity of pathology specimens and overlapping pathological features between various lesions may pose a serious diagnostic challenge. In this review, we highlight the importance of using the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) classification scheme to characterise these lesions. Selected entities are discussed, including hepatic vascular tumours exclusively seen in the paediatric age group, hepatic infantile haemangioma and hepatic congenital haemangioma. Vascular malformations, with emphasis on their syndromic associations (venous malformation in blue rubber bleb naevus syndrome) and complications (hepatocellular nodules in Abernethy malformation) are also covered.

Incidental Vascular Lesion in Explanted Liver: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature

Hepatic small vessel neoplasm (HSVN) is a rare vascular hepatic lesion that is usually an asymptomatic incidental finding. Here we present a case of a 66-year-old male with HSVN who was discovered to have a lesion presenting as a small nodule in an explanted liver. HSVN is a recently described hepatic vascular lesion that has been previously underdiagnosed. It has an uncertain long-term malignant potential, so close follow-up is recommended.

Multimodal imaging features of retroperitoneal anastomosing hemangioma: a case report and literature review

Background

Anastomotic hemangioma is a rare subtype of capillary hemangioma primarily found in the genitourinary tract. We present a case of a patient with an anastomotic hemangioma located in the retroperitoneal space; then, we explore and summarize the imaging features from previously reported cases for accurate diagnosis.

Case presentation

A 57-year-old woman complained of left lower back pain. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound revealed a hypoechoic mass with "slow-in and slow-out" enhancement. Abdominal CT scan displayed a well-defined, round soft tissue mass in the right retroperitoneal region with obvious enhancement. MRI indicated low signal on T1-weighted imaging, high signal on T2-weighted imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging, and progressive enhancement after enhancement. Surgical removal of the tumor was performed. Histopathological examination exhibited a distinct tumor border with interconnected blood vessels and a cavity lined by a single layer of cubic endothelial cells. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of CD31[+] and CD34[+]. The final pathological diagnosis was anastomotic hemangioma. No recurrence was observed during a 40-month follow-up.

Conclusion

Retroperitoneal anastomotic hemangioma is a rare and benign neoplasm that may be misdiagnosed as ectopic pheochromocytoma or angiosarcoma. This case report presents and analyzes the imaging characteristics of a series of retroperitoneal anastomotic hemangiomas, which can be valuable for future diagnoses and help prevent unnecessary surgeries.

Mesenchymal Neoplasms of the Liver

Mesenchymal neoplasms of the liver can be diagnostically challenging, particularly on core needle biopsies. Here, I discuss recent updates in neoplasms that are specific to the liver (mesenchymal hamartoma, undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, calcifying nested stromal-epithelial tumor), vascular tumors of the liver (anastomosing hemangioma, hepatic small vessel neoplasm, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, angiosarcoma), and other tumor types that can occur primarily in the liver (PEComa/angiomyolipoma, inflammatory pseudotumor-like follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, EBV-associated smooth muscle tumor, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, malignant rhabdoid tumor). Lastly, I discuss metastatic sarcomas to the liver, as well as pitfalls presented by metastatic melanoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Hepatic anastomosing hemangioma: A case report

BACKGROUND

Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is a rare benign vascular tumor, which is often discovered in the genitourinary system and paravertebral region and rarely occurs in the liver. AH lacks specific clinical manifestations and is prone to overtreatment.

CASE SUMMARY

A 29-year-old male patient sought medical attention due to the discovery of a liver tumor for 2 years and tumor enlargement for 7 mo. The preoperative diagnosis suggested the possibility of focal nodular hyperplasia. However, due to the rapid increase in the volume of the liver tumor, the possibility of malignancy cannot be ruled out. After surgical treatment, the diagnosis was confirmed as liver AH, and there was no recurrence during long-term follow-up after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Hepatic AH, as a benign tumor of blood vessels, lacks specific clinical manifestations. It can manifest as a stable tumor in the liver with a rapid increase in the volume in a short period of time, similar to a malignancy. Therefore, for cases with short-term progressive enlargement of intrahepatic masses, clinicians should broaden the scope of diagnosis and treatment, reduce misdiagnosis rates, and avoid overtreatment.

Multiple hemangiomas (hepatic small vessel neoplasia) in the liver with Budd-Chiari syndrome

Hepatic small vessel neoplasia (HSVN) is a recently recognized hemangioma of the liver with uncertain malignant potential. Almost all the patients are asymptomatic. Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare disorder characterized by noncardiogenic hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Benign hepatocellular nodules have been acknowledged for a long time in the liver with the chronic BCS. However, there has been no case report of BCS associated with HSVN. The patient was diagnosed with BCS 13 years ago. The imaging test initially displayed multiple hepatic nodules that were suspected of benign hepatocellular nodules. They gradually increased in size and number in the course of the disease. At an autopsy, these nodules were confirmed to be multifocal HSVN. The tumor of the present case could not be proved to have GNAQ and GNQ14 mutations. We describe the case focusing on the chronological imaging changes and discuss on the relationship between BCS and HSVN.

Anastomosing hemangioma of the liver: An unusual variant in abdominal MRI imaging

The liver is a rare site for anastomosing hemangiomas with only a few cases reported that characterize the lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These lesions may be underreported due to overlapping features with classic hemangiomas. Anastomosing hemangiomas have a well-defined histological profile and are often diagnosed by biopsy in the setting of atypical imaging features.  We report a case of biopsy-proven hepatic anastomosing hemangioma found on a screening MRI for hepatocellular carcinoma in a 52-year-old female with cirrhosis. This lesion initially demonstrated interval growth but has shown no local recurrence in the 2-year surveillance period following microwave ablation.

Spermatic cord anastomosing hemangioma mimicking a malignant inguinal tumor: A case report and literature review

Background

Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is a rare vascular tumor and occurs in various organs. It is difficult to distinguish AH from malignant tumors even through multimodal imaging examination. AH located in the inguinal region is even rare. We present the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with spermatic cord AH in detail and conduct a literature review.

Case Report

An 84-year-old Chinese man had swelling pain in his right scrotum. A hard and fixed mass was palpable in the right inguinal region. Preoperative radiological examination considered it a neurogenic or vascular tumor. Malignant soft tissue sarcoma could not be excluded. He underwent radical inguinal right orchiectomy under intraspinal anesthesia. The diagnosis of spermatic cord AH was confirmed by pathological examination. The patient recovered uneventfully and remained disease-free during an 18-month follow-up.

Conclusion

Spermatic cord AH is quite rare and could be misdiagnosed as a malignant tumor. Pathological evidence might be necessary. The optimal choice of treatment should be determined through a comprehensive assessment of both tumor and patient factors.

Anastomosing hemangioma: a current update on clinical, pathological and imaging features

Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is a rare, benign vascular neoplasm with distinctive histopathology and characteristic tumor distribution. AHs show marked proclivity to involve the kidneys, gonads and the retroperitoneal soft tissues; kidney is the most common target site often in the context of end stage renal disease. Recent studies have identified activating mutations of GNA genes that drive the molecular pathogenesis of AHs. AH appears as a solitary, well-circumscribed, hypervascular tumor that charters a benign course with an excellent prognosis. The purpose of this article is to provide a current update on clinical, pathological and imaging features of anastomotic hemangioma.

Imaging findings of retroperitoneal anastomosing hemangioma: a case report and literature review

Background

Anastomosing hemangioma is an uncommon benign vascular tumor that may be mistaken for a malignancy. The imaging findings of anastomosing hemangioma are not well provided from the previous reports. Herein, in the study, we discuss the imaging findings for one case of retroperitoneal anastomosing hemangioma.

Case presentation

One 64-year-old female patient had a left retroperitoneal mass that was incidentally detected upon physical examination. A hypoechoic mass with abundant blood flow signals was found by US in the perirenal space. CT and MRI detected a large cystic and solid lesion in the left retroperitoneal space. Plain CT indicated that the internal density was uneven, and the pattern of enhancement was obvious and progressive. MRI-T2WI showed high intensity, DWI showed isointensity, and the mass also showed obvious progressive enhancement. Finally, anastomosing hemangioma was diagnosed via histopathological studies.

Conclusion

As a rare and benign tumour, anastomosing hemangioma is easily misinterpreted. We suggest that the observation of “genitourinary tract related, well defined, hyperintensity or isointensity on T2WI, isointensity on DWI, and obvious progressive enhancement patterns likely to the vascular enhancement” may consider the diagnosis of AH.

Anastomosing Hemangioma on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT: A Potential Pitfall

ABSTRACT

Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is a rare benign vascular lesion that primarily involves the genitourinary tract. Cases have also rarely been reported in other organs. AH is often discovered incidentally and resembles angiosarcoma histologically. On imaging, it may mimic other vascular lesions such as renal cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors. We present a case of a 32-year-old woman with incidentally detected AH involving the kidneys, adrenal glands, liver, and retroperitoneum, initially presumed to be neuroendocrine tumors based on imaging findings on CT and 68Ga-DOTATATE PET scans.

The humbling hemangioma: uncommon CT and MRI imaging features and mimickers of hepatic hemangiomas

Cavernous hemangiomas are among the most common liver lesions encountered in abdominal imaging. While classical imaging characteristics usually aid the radiologist in confidently arriving at its diagnosis, atypical hemangiomas can prove to be difficult to distinguish from other more worrisome hepatic lesions such as metastases and hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, some malignant lesions can display features that simulate hemangiomas. The radiologist must be aware of these pitfalls to make an accurate diagnosis, when possible.

Anastomosing hemangioma arising from the left renal vein: A case report

BACKGROUND

Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is a rare subtype of benign hemangioma that is most commonly found in the genitourinary tract. Due to the lack of specific clinical and radiologic manifestations, it is easily misdiagnosed preoperatively. Here, we report a case of AH arising from the left renal vein that was discovered incidentally and confirmed pathologically, and then describe its imaging characteristics from a radiologic point of view and review its clinicopathologic features and treatment.

CASE SUMMARY

A 74-year-old woman was admitted to our department for a left retroperitoneal neoplasm measuring 2.6 cm × 2.0 cm. Her laboratory data showed no significant abnormalities. A non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed a heterogeneous density in the neoplasm. Non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneous hypointensity on T1-weighed images and a heterogeneous hyperintensity on T2-weighed images. On contrast-enhanced CT and MRI scans, the neoplasm presented marked septal enhancement in the arterial phase and persistent enhancement in the portal phase, and its boundary with the left renal vein was ill-defined. Based on these clinical and radiological manifestations, the neoplasm was initially considered to be a neurogenic neoplasm in the left retroperitoneum. Finally, the neoplasm was completely resected and pathologically diagnosed as AH.

CONCLUSION

AH is an uncommon benign hemangioma. Preoperative misdiagnoses are common not only because of a lack of specific clinical and radiologic manifestations but also because clinicians lack vigilance and diagnostic experience in identifying AH. AH is not exclusive to the urogenital parenchyma. We report the first case of this neoplasm in the left renal vein. Recognition of this entity in the left renal vein can be helpful in its diagnosis and distinction from other neoplasms.

Intracranial thrombosed anastomosing hemangioma: Case report

An anastomosing hemangioma is a relatively new diagnosis of a benign vascular lesion that is typically found in the genitourinary tract. On imaging, anastomosing hemangiomas have a broad differential diagnosis and can resemble malignant lesions such as angiosarcoma. Here we present a case of a 33-year-old male with seizures who on imaging was found to have a presumed recurrent intracranial meningioma. After surgical resection of his lesion, this case was pathologically diagnosed as having anastomosing hemangioma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of a thrombosed anastomosing hemangioma located at intracranial and intradural region.