Intercostal hemangioma: Case report of a rare chest wall tumor in childhood

INTRODUCTION: Intercostal hemangioma is an extremely rare disease. It is difficult to distinguish intercostal hemangioma from other chest wall tumors. The difficulty in preoperative diagnosis may result in incomplete surgical resection and hence a high rate of recurrence. CASE PRESENTATION: A 14-year-old boy who presented with asymptomatic right lateral chest wall mass with no history of trauma. Different radiological modalities were employed for diagnosis including computed tomography (CT) showed a soft tissue mass 6.5 × 4 × 5.6 cm in size abutting 5th and 6th ribs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed iso-intense signal in T1 and hyperintense signal in T2, that is higher than that of adjacent muscles in the inferolateral right chest wall which was compatible with intercostal hemangioma. The patient underwent surgery for excision of the mass. Through right posterolateral thoracotomy, there was a well-demarcated mass abutting 5th, and 6th ribs filling the right 5th interspaces. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of intercostal hemangioma. DISCUSSION: Chest wall hemangiomas are uncommon and mostly arise outside the rib cage. Hemangiomas rarely occur in the intercostal space, and most of these originate from intercostal muscles (Agarwal et al., 2006). Watson and McCarthy postulated two theories for the etiology of hemangiomas. The more widely supported theory claims that hemangiomas are of congenital origin. The other theory proposes a traumatic origin of hemangiomas. CONCLUSION: Complete surgical resection should not be compromised by the resultant chest wall defect to prevent recurrence.