Isolated cavernous haemangioma of the stomach in a 3-year-old child: an unusual cause of upper GI bleeding

Mesenchymal tumors of the stomach: radiologic and pathologic correlation

Mesenchymal tumors of the stomach are uncommon, with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) being the most common among them. Majority of the tumors may arise from cells of Cajal, smooth muscle cells, neural cells, totipotent stem cells, adipocytes or fibroblasts. Imaging plays an important role not only in staging but also in characterizing these tumors. Many of these tumors have characteristic imaging features. GISTs usually present as large cavitating and necrotic tumors with exophytic component. Presence of fat tissue within the tumor suggests a lipoma or a teratoma, early phase hyperenhancement indicates glomus tumor and hemangioma, and delayed contrast enhancement is seen in schwannoma. Their differentiation from epithelial tumors like carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors is often possible based on the location (mesenchymal tumors are intramural), spread, morphological appearance and enhancement patterns. However, overlapping features exist between these tumors with imaging often being only suggestive. A biopsy is necessary for a definitive diagnosis in many cases.

Small bowel racemose hemangioma complicated with obstruction and chronic anemia: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal hemangiomas are rare benign tumors. According to the size of the affected vessels, hemangiomas are histologically classified into cavernous, capillary, or mixed-type tumors, with the cavernous type being the most common and racemose hemangiomas being very rare in the clinic. Melena of uncertain origin and anemia are the main clinical manifestations, and other presentations are rare. Due to the rarity of gastrointestinal hemangiomas and lack of specific manifestations and diagnostic methods, preoperative diagnoses are often delayed or incorrect.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a 5-year-old girl who presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting for a duration of 10 h. The laboratory studies showed prominent anemia. Computed tomography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a small bowel obstruction caused by a giant abdominal mass. Segmental resection of the ileal lesions was performed through surgery, and the final pathology results revealed a diagnosis of racemose hemangioma complicated by a small bowel obstruction and simultaneous chronic anemia.

CONCLUSION

The current report will increase the understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal hemangiomas and provide a review of the related literature.

Haemangiomas of the Small Intestine: Poorly Known Cause of Gastrointestinal Bleeding of Uncertain Origin

Small bowel haemangiomas are benign vascular tumours that may cause gastrointestinal bleeding of uncertain origin, are frequently chronic, and are rarely acute. We report a case of an haemangioma located in the distal ileum of a 29-year-old male with a history of chronic anemia since childhood. Imaging studies showed a mural thickening in the distal ileum with phleboliths, which is a key finding of haemangioma. Surgery was performed, and histology confirmed the diagnosis.