Calvarial hemangioendothelioma with intracranial hemorrhage: case report

Congenital occipital encephalocele with Dabska tumor: report of an unusual case

Encephaloceles arise from developmental defects in neural tube formation. These lesions contain brain and meninges which herniate through a defect in the skull. These may present as isolated malformations or rarely be associated with brain tumors. We hereby discuss a case of an unusual association of an occipital encephalocele with papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma or Dabska tumor arising from the sac itself. The patient underwent resection of the herniated brain tissue with repair and closure of the dural defect. Histopathological examination revealed evidence of Dabska tumor from the sac. This is the first case report of the association of an occipital encephalocele with a rare vascular tumor, i.e. papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma.

Giant cavernoma of the skull and skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis associated with paraproteinemia

Skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis is defined as a benign vascular proliferation affecting the medullar cavity of the bone and at least one other type of tissue, including skin, subcutaneous tissue, viscera, muscle, or synovium, and which does not spread to avascular tissue such as cartilage. Primary hemangiomas/cavernous hemangiomas (cavernomas) are exceedingly rare in the skull, accounting for 0.2% of all osseous neoplasms and are usually located in frontal and parietal bones. The authors present the case of a 66-year-old man who was admitted with right-side hemiparesis. MRI revealed a destructive bone lesion of the left frontal bone. Digital subtraction angiography of the brain did not reveal pathological vascularization, but a minor submucous hemangioma was seen in the nasal airway. Urine test for Bence-Jones proteins was positive for IgG λ light chain. Bone marrow aspiration and CSF analysis revealed no evidence of systemic myelomatosis suggesting a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. A highly vascular tumor was surgically removed. The histopathology verified cavernous hemangioma of the skull and the nasal submucous hemangioma. We discuss the diagnostic procedure, possible pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment implementation. It is possible that immunoglobulins from monoclonal gammopathies have an etiologic role in the development of the bone and skin changes in older patients, as an acquired condition, by producing a vascular injury that could lead to the multiple hemangiomas in skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis. To prevent misdiagnosis with lesions of other origins, multiple lesions of the head must be resected and histopathologically verified. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of giant cavernous hemangioma of the skull associated with paraproteinemia and skeletalextraskeletal angiomatosis limited to the head.

Cavernous hemangioma of the skull presenting with subdural hematoma. Case report

Cavernous hemangioma of the calvaria is a very rare disease, and patients usually present with headaches or a visible skull deformity. Few reports of patients presenting with intradiploic or epidural hemorrhages are found in the literature. No case of an intradural hemorrhage from a cavernous hemangioma of the skull has been reported to date. The authors present the case of a 50-year-old man in whom a symptomatic subdural hematoma (SDH) resulting from a cavernous hemangioma of the calvaria had hemorrhaged and eroded through the inner table of the skull and dura mater. The patient underwent surgery for evacuation of the SDH and resection of the calvarial lesion. Postoperatively, the patient experienced immediate relief of his symptoms and had no clinical or radiological recurrence. Calvarial cavernous hemangiomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nontraumatic SDHs. Additionally, skull lesions that present with intracranial hemorrhages must be identified and resected at the time of hematoma evacuation to prevent recurrences.

Skull metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with acute epidural hematoma: a case report

BACKGROUND

Although epidural hematoma is well documented in trauma patients, its association with other etiologies, such as neoplasms, is not widely known. Here the authors report a case of acute epidural hematoma that originated from a metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the skull.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 70-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with left-sided hemiparesis. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) revealed a lenticular high-density area adjacent to the right parietal bone, consistent with an acute epidural hematoma. A subsequent magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a skull tumor adjacent to the epidural hematoma. Removal of the tumor and evacuation of the hematoma were performed and the pathological diagnosis was metastatic HCC. Postoperatively, the patient gradually recovered but he died of pneumonia 2 months later.

CONCLUSION

This report represents an additional example of a rare case of metastatic skull tumor associated with acute epidural hematoma. The authors suggest that metastatic skull tumors may be one of the important differential diagnoses in patients with acute epidural hematoma.

Lumbar hemangioendothelioma

A case of hemangioendothelioma encountered in the lumbar region of a child is presented. Clinically, the tumor could not be differentiated from a dermoid cyst. This lesion must be included in the differential diagnosis of benign lumbar tumors.