Intramuscular hemangioma formation in the masseter muscle: a case report

Abstract

Hemangioma is a benign vascular proliferation. Intramuscular hemangiomas are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all hemangiom as, and occur normally in the trunk and extremities. Approximately 10-20% of intramuscular hemangiomas are found in the head and neck region, m ost often in the masseter muscles. The typical clinical characteristic is a painful soft tissue mass without cutaneous changes. The suggested t reatment is a surgical excision. We report a case of an intramuscular hemagnioma of the masseter muscle. The patient was a 56 year old male who visited our cli nic complaining of left facial swelling after 2 years of follow up at a different clinic. After magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the mass was exc ised under general anesthesia. The biopsy revealed the mass to be an intramuscular hemangioma. We report the clinical and pathological characteristic s as well as the treatment of a case of an intramuscular hemangioma of the masseter muscle.