Nearly asymptomatic intracranial capillary hemangiomas: A case report and literature review

The present study reported a nearly asymptomatic case of intracranial capillary hemangioma (ICHs), which are rare benign vascular tumors or tumor-like lesions. A 33-year-old female came to the hospital with a complaint of a slight but recurring morning headache concentrated in the left posterior occipital area. These headaches spontaneously resolved without any treatment. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass inside the left occipital lobe. The patient refused to undergo conservative observation at home and insisted on radical therapy. Prior to surgery, an atypical meningioma or astrocytoma was suspected. A navigation-guided brain-mass resection was performed under general anesthesia and a solid mass closely associated with the tentorium cerebelli was completely resected. Histopathological analysis confirmed diagnosis of an ICH. The patient recovered well and experienced no major neurological defects, apart from an issue with the right visual field. The present study also conducted a retrospective literature review of papers published in English describing cases of intracranial capillary hemangiomas. A PubMed search identified 19 articles comprising 29 cases. The clinical symptoms of ICH are diverse and all reported cases in the literature were symptomatic. Previous studies demonstrated that diagnoses of intracranial capillary hemangioma are usually made during surgical resection by histopathological examination. Treatment for ICH remains empirical and surgery is the most common method of treatment. Patient prognosis is generally good-the majority of patients achieve long-term, event- and progression-free survival.