An Uncommon Mass of the Esophagus: Esophageal Hemangioma

Abstract

A 73-year-old woman complaining of retrosternal pain and swallow discomfort over the past 1 month was admitted to our hospital. She denied any dysphonia, regurgitation or weight loss. Physical examination was unremarkable. The hematological and biochemical profiles were normal. Barium meal studies revealed a smooth oval-shape mass with broad pedicle in the posterior wall of the upper esophagus (Figur 1). The patient refused to endoscopic investigation because of irregular heart rhythms. Further chest CT scan revealed a soft tissue mass with punctuate calcification and narrowing of the lumen to around 40% of the original size. The lesion showed moderately inhomogeneous enhancement after contrast injection (Figure 2 & 3). There was no lymphatic node adenopathy in the mediastinum. Based on her symptoms and related radiological findings, the patient was firstly suspected with esophageal hemangioma and underwent thoracoscopic enucleating. Intraoperative photography showed deep-red lesion with smooth surface (Figure 4) and the mass was completely resected under the thoracoscopy. Histopathological findings were consistent with esophageal haemangioma (Figure 5). Post-operative course was uneventful and the patient’s symptom of retrosternal chest pain was completely resolved after surgery. She remained asymptomatic at 2-year follow-up.