Combined treatment of periorbital arteriovenous malformation: a case report

A 54-year-old woman had a gradually growing subcutaneous mass for more than three decades over her right zygomatic bone and below the right inferior orbital rim. The tumor was slightly pulsatile and non-tender. MRI scans demonstrated an unusually vascularized soft tissue mass with many large-caliber vessels. Selective angiography showed the mass to be an arteriovenous malformation with the principal feeder being the internal maxillary artery. A combined treatment scheme which consisted of an initial embolization of the lesion followed by surgical extirpation was carried out. This sequential approach allowed safer surgery and a satisfactory cosmetic outcome.