Cavernous hemangioma of the rhinopharynx – Case report and literature review

Abstract

Hemangiomas are benign tumors that originate in vascular tissues. Although these tu- mors are common lesions of the head and neck, they rarely occur in the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses. Cavernous hemangiomas of the lateral wall of the nasopharynx are very rare; to our knowledge, less than 40 cases have been described. We present the case of a 47-year-old woman who came to our institution with an 8-month history of nasal obstruction and hearing loss, along with endoscopic and imaging studies. The case was discussed in our Skull Base Committee, and a decision was made to perform surgical resection without prior embolization, performing complete excision by endoscopic trans­nasal route. Histopathological analysis confirmed a cavernous hemangioma. To date, no recurrence has been observed.