[Intramasseteric hemangioma operated by intraoral approach]

Hemangiomas are benign vascular tumors, of unknown origin. Skeletal muscle localization account for less than 1% of cases. Masseter muscle localization is most common in head and neck (36%). In this case, treatment is usually surgery via an extra-oral approach which imposes parotidectomy with dissection of facial nerve branches. We report a case of intramasseteric hemangioma operated via an intraoral approach and we describe the benefits of this approach.

A 34-year-old male patient with no prior history of trauma consulted for left masseter swelling having evolved for several years. Clinical examination revealed a soft, painless, well-defined swelling, about 5cm long, with a positive Wattle sign in the left cheek. The CT exam suggested a vascular lesion, located in the deep bundle of the masseter muscle. Preoperative embolization was followed by surgical exeresis via an intraoral approach. The post-operative evolution was uneventful. No recurrence was observed at one year of follow-up.

Intraoral intramasseteric hemangioma exeresis is possible and does not seem to lead to more complications than with the facial approach. It prevents the significant drawbacks due to cutaneous incision, parotidectomy, and dissection of facial nerve branches via a facial approach.