Korean J Radiol.  2004 Sep;5(3):214-217. 10.3348/kjr.2004.5.3.214.

High Grade Hemangioendothelioma of the Temporal Bone in a Child: A Case Report

• Kim HL
• Im SA
• Lim GY
• Chun HJ
• Lee H
• Park HJ
• Byun JY

• KMID: 1118827
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2004.5.3.214

Abstract

Hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular tumor characterized by endothelial tumor cells and variable malignant behavior, and it's not common for this lesion to involve the bone. Although there are a few reports of cranial involvement by hemangioendothelioma, only rare cases arising in temporal bone have been published. We present the radiologic findings of a 7-year-old boy who had a high grade hemangioendothelioma involving the temporal bone with intracranial extension. Evidence of flow voids on MR images suggested a tumor of vascular origin, and the ill-defined margins, cortical destruction and intracranial extension on the CT and MR images were correlated with the tumor's high histologic grade.

Keyword

Hemangioendothelioma; Temporal bone, CT; Temporal bone, MR

MeSH Terms

Brain Neoplasms/*diagnosis/therapy
Child
Hemangioendothelioma/*diagnosis/therapy
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Temporal Bone/*pathology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A 7-year-old boy with high grade hemangioendothelioma of the right temporal bone. A. Plain radiograph shows a relatively well-defined osteolytic lesion in the right temporal bone (arrows). B. Axial CT scan with bone window shows the marked bone destruction, with ill-defined margins, involving the mastoid portion of the right temporal bone. C. Axial T1-weighted MR image (TR/TE, 509/14) reveals the main mass involving the right temporal bone with heterogeneous signal intensity and signal void dots (arrowheads). D. Coronal T2-weighted image (TR/TE, 4225/100) shows temporal portion of the mass to be heterogeneously hypointense with multiple signal void dots (arrowheads), and the supratentorial portion to be homogenously hyperintense (arrows). E. The coronal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR image (TR/TE, 509/14) reveals heterogeneous enhancement of the main mass in the temporal bone and peripheral enhancement of the intracranial portion (arrows). F. Lateral view of the right external carotid angiogram shows a large, ill-defined hypervascular mass in the right temporal region, which is mainly supplied by petrosal branches of the middle meningeal artery (arrows). G. The lesion still remained hypervascular on the late venous phase due to delayed washout of contrast media. Arteriovenous shunt was not demonstrated. H. Photomicrograph shows the pleomorphic, highly atypical spindle cells with focal luminal differentiation filled with erythrocytes, and the irregular anastomosing vascular channels (arrows) (hematoxylin-eosin staining, ×200).

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