A rare case of intramuscular hemangioma of splenius capitis: a case report

Intramuscular hemangiomas are benign lesion that rarely occurs within the skeletal muscle of the head and neck regions. These lesions present with nonspecific symptoms resulting in only a few instances of accurate preoperative diagnosis.

A 20-year-old male presented with swelling over the nape of the neck on the right side. On clinical examination, the solitary swelling was 4×4 cm on measurement, soft on consistency with regular margin, fluctuant, with no skin changes over the swelling, nontender, no restriction in range of motion of the neck, and no pulsation felt.

Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced MRI revealed intramuscular hemangioma involving the right splenius capitis muscle with no extension to adjacent muscles and minimal extension to the subcutaneous tissue.

Excision of the lesion along with splenius capitis was performed with stable postoperative hemodynamics.

Since intramuscular hemangiomas pose a challenge in preoperative diagnosis, it requires the sensible use of imaging modalities. Although several treatment modalities have surfaced, intramuscular hemangiomas require definitive operative management to reduce their recurrence.