Hemangioma of the apical orbit diagnosed by radionuclide imaging

Hemangiomas are benign vascular hamartomas which occur more commonly in women between the ages of 30 and 50 years. These tumors are among the most common lesions found in the adult orbit. The purpose of this report is to describe the usefulness of delayed blood pool scans for diagnosing unusually located hemangiomas as highlighted in our report of a 67-year-old white male who reported initially with unilateral proptosis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a distinct mass measuring 1.6 cm anteroposterior diameter by 1.5 cm width by 1.2 cm height near the apex of the orbit. A gallium scan was negative for a solid tumor. A technetium-99 m blood pool (hemangioma SPECT scan) was positive, consistent with a hemangioma of the orbital soft tissue.