Intrasellar cavernous hemangioma presenting as pituitary adenoma: A report of two cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Cavernous hemangioma in the sellar region is quite rare with only a handful of cases being reported in the English literature. Its clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics can mimic those of a pituitary adenoma. We report two cases of recurrent sellar lesions, both of which were clinically suspected of being pituitary adenomas but histologically confirmed as cavernous hemangiomas. The first case is of a 67-year-old female whose initial resection was diagnosed as "venous angioma". Neuroimaging performed 27 years later demonstrated significant growth of the lesion involving the right cavernous sinus and encasing the right internal carotid artery. The patient then underwent transsphenoidal endoscopic resection of the mass. At the time of the surgery, the lesion was noted to be quite vascular. The second case is a 48-year-old female who underwent emergency resection of a pituitary mass following an apoplectic event. On follow-up 4 years later, the patient reported recurrence of galactorrhea, and MRI had demonstrated regrowth of the mass. She subsequently underwent subtotal resection of the mass. At the time of surgery, brisk bleeding was noted in the operative area. The above two cases demonstrate that cavernous hemangiomas in the sellar region can clinically and radiologically mimic pituitary adenoma and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hemorrhagic sellar mass. .