Lobular Capillary Hemangioma in a Young Child: Diagnostic Dilemma and Management

Pyogenic granuloma (lobular capillary hemangioma) is a common reactive tumour-like lesion of the oral cavity arising in response to various stimuli such as chronic local irritation, drug intake, and hormonal changes. The clinical features are similar to other reactive oral lesions such as peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) and therefore the definitive diagnosis depends on histopathologic evaluation. We report a case of a three-year-old Indian boy presenting with a three-month history of a 3.3×1.4×0.8 cm large sessile, lobular, soft-tissue mass of the left mandibular posterior gingival region which was referred to us. An excisional biopsy of the lesion revealed multinucleated giant cells lying in an inflammatory cell infiltrate-rich stroma consisting of plump endothelial cells on histopathologic examination suggestive of lobular capillary hemangioma. The patient was asymptomatic with no new growth on regular follow-up. This is the first reported case of a large pyogenic granuloma in a very young child, which is an uncommon presentation.