Hemangioendothelioma mimicking a median nerve neoplasm. Case report

The authors report a case of brachial vein epithelioid hemangioendothelioma resembling a median nerve neoplasm clinically and radiologically. It was found as a mass closely attached to median nerve and arising from one of two brachial veins. Simple resection, requiring sacrifice of the vein, allowed nerve median sparing but recurrence occurred one year later. Hemangioendothelioma should be also considered in differential diagnosis and in the planning surgery of arm median nerve masses. Wide local excision is surgical treatment recommended in those cases when regional lymph nodes or systemic metastasis have not been recognized. Regional lymph nodes resection and adjunctive radiation and chemo-therapy should be considered only for "malignant" or metastatic hemangioendothelioma.