Cavernous Hermangioma

[Scotty1701]

My son was recently diagnosed with 4 Cavernous Hermangioma's. He has one in his brain stem, one in the left frontal lobe, left temporal lobe and one in the right temporal lobe. The one in his brainstem is inoperable. I am floored by all of this and I am looking for support regarding this issue. I would be thankful for any assitance regarding this issue. My son is 17 yrs old. Thank you.

[sweetpea03]

when was your son diagnosed? many times doctors use the term hemangioma to cover vascular malformations as well, though the two are different. Hemangiomas can go away on their own, but vascular malformations don't. The treatment for both is similar and they also look similar in appearance. It is important to get the correct diagnosis, since treatment for the two conditions is different. There is a support group on MSN called vascular birthmark support. There are many mothers on there with babies with hemangiomas.

[bhups1]

Hi, cavernous hemangiomas are benign, slow growing vascular lesions, possibly intracranial vascular malformations which are developmental malformations of the vessels. Patients may be asymptomatic, although they often present with headaches, seizures, or small parenchymal hemorrhages.

“Generally, the relative frequency of vascular malformations as a cause of intracranial hemorrhage is approximately 5%. In particular, the risk of hemorrhage of cavernous angiomas is estimated to be less than 2% per lesion per year. As a cause of hemorrhage, cavernous angiomas are far less common than hypertension; nevertheless, as a cause of hemorrhage, they must be excluded, especially in young patients. Not all cavernous angiomas are associated with symptoms, but once patients become symptomatic, 40-50% present with seizures, 20% present with focal neurologic deficits, and 10-25% present with hemorrhage. Symptoms may progress rapidly, be stable for years; or wax and wane”. Taken from website http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic95.htm

For more information and treatment options visit http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic95.htm