Submandibular venous hemangioma: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Hemangiomas of the submandibular space are very rare. Only 11 cases have been reported in the English literature, all of which were cavernous hemangiomas. In this report, we describe the case of a venous hemangioma in a 70-year-old woman. Ultrasound examination revealed a lobulated, homogeneous, hypoechoic mass, and minimal flow was detected on power Doppler evaluation. The mass and the submandibular gland were surgically excised, and the endothelium was found to be positive for CD31 and D2-40 markers, consistent with venous hemangioma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a venous hemangioma in the submandibular space.

Keywords: hemangioma; salivary glands; submandibular space; ultrasonography.