Hemangioma of the masseter muscle: report of a case

Abstract

This condition constitutes 0.8% of all hemangiomas, 14% in the head and neck [1]. Skeletal muscle involvement was first described in 1843 by Listen [2]. The rarity of these tumors and the difficulty with diagnosis often leads to incomplete excision [3]. These are congenital lesions consisting of mesodermal nests of vasoformative tissue that gives rise to the vascular tree [4]. They may be exacerbated by trauma and reproductive hormones [3, 5]. They can resolve spontaneously [3, 4, 6]. They present as a palpable, rubbery mass in 98% of cases [4]. Occasionally, they are compressible and pulsate. Conventional X-rays show phleboliths, MRI scanning gives good soft tissue definition, but angiography reveals the vascular nature of the tumor [7]. Irradiation cautery, sclerosants, lasers, steroids and surgical excision have been used for treatment [3, 4, 6, 8, 12]. Total excision is the treatment of choice [4, 6, 10, 13, 14].