Large intraosseous hemangioma of the temporal bone in a child

Hemangiomas of the temporal bone are extremely uncommon tumors, predominantly arising in the area of the geniculate ganglion and the internal auditory canal and affecting mainly middle-aged adults. We present a 6-year-old boy who had suffered from recurrent infections of the left ear associated with a slight conductive hearing loss, but without facial nerve dysfunction. Using high-resolution computed tomography and gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, we detected an unusually large 32 x 32 x 24-mm mass of the left temporal bone occupying the entire mastoid. Histopathologically, a capillary hemangioma was diagnosed. The tumor was removed surgically by a transmastoid approach. We present a thorough review of the literature, focusing on the clinical and radiologic features, as well as the pathogenesis of intratemporal vascular lesions.