A Case Report of Bulky Venous Malformation in the Parapharyngeal Space

Abstract

AbstractVenous malformations commonly occur in the head and neck regions, in the mucous membrane of the nasal and oral cavities. Venous malformations are found in the extremities in 40% of cases, in the trunk in 20% of cases, and in the cervicofacial area in 40% of cases. However, they are rarely encountered in the parapharyngeal space. We report our experience of surgical treatment of a patient with this rare tumor. The patient was a 21-year-old man who presented with a left mandibular swelling and was admitted to a nearby hospital. He was referred to our hospital for examination and treatment. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a bulky tumor with some calcification in the parapharyngeal space; on contrast-enhanced CT, the tumor showed some enhanced effects in the arterial and venous phases. Additional enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the lesion as low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and as high signal intensity on T2-weighted images, and contrast-enhanced MRI showed some enhanced effects of the lesion. Based on these findings, we suspected venous malformation and performed surgical excision. Histopathology confirmed the venous malformation, and the lesion was diagnosed as a cavernous angioma. Vascular malformations in the head and neck regions should be precisely diagnosed so that appropriate multimodality treatment can be undertaken.