[Cavernous hemangioma of the lung]

Cavernous hemangiomas are benign vascular tumours rarely described in the lungs. Symptoms include respiratory distress, cardiac failure and massive haemoptysis, but they are mostly asymptomatic.

A 67-year-old woman was referred to our institute and treated for pneumonia. A computed tomography scan of the thorax showed an infiltrative mass about 46mm in its greatest dimension in the right upper lobe. The mass was in contact with the mediastinal pleura. Since bronchial biopsy and FNAC did not reveal the aetiology of the lesion, the video-assisted thoracic surgery with right anterolateral thoracotomy and enucleation was performed. The intraoperative and postoperative pathohistological study showed cavernous hemangioma and this diagnosis was confirmed on immunohistochemical staining.

In spite of its benign behaviour and mostly asymptomatic clinical course it is necessary to consider cavernous hemangioma in the differential diagnosis of other pulmonary lesions. The definitive diagnosis can be made only by histopathological and immunohistochemical examination.