Detection of bladder hemangioma in a child by blood-pool scintigraphy

Bladder hemangioma is a rare cause of gross hematuria. A 5-year-old boy was investigated for recurrent episodes of asymptomatic gross hematuria, but no abnormalities were found. Blood-pool scintigraphy using (99m)technetium-human serum albumin combined with diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) revealed an area of increased activity in the right side of the bladder, which was confirmed by cystoscopy as a bladder hemangioma. Endoscopic laser therapy was used to remove two lesions successfully that were diagnosed histologically as cavernous hemangioma. The patient had no further episodes of hematuria in the 2-year period after this treatment. This case study indicates blood-pool scintigraphy may be a useful technique for detecting bladder hemangiomas.