Background: Cavernous hemangioma represents a rare vascular malformation usually located in the cavernous sinus that could be exceptionally found purely in the intrasellar region. The clinical presentation of intrasellar cavernous hemangioma (ICH), frequently variable and unspecific, poses the patient at risk for misdiagnosis and the clinical consequences of suboptimal treatment. We present a case of ICH and describe the advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features that should direct toward the clinical suspicion of ICH.
Case presentation: An illustrative case of a 61-year-old man complaining of recurrent headaches and diagnosed with a sellar and parasellar lesion was reported and used as a cue to discuss MRI imaging sequences that may aid in the distinction of ICH from pituitary adenoma and other skull base lesions. Heterogeneous enhancement followed by intense homogeneous enhancement at the dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences ("fill-in" phenomenon), absence of blooming signs at the gradient recalled echo (GRE) T2*-weighted and/or susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) MRI sequences, and elevated apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values usually characterize ICH instead of pituitary adenoma.
Conclusion: Advanced MRI imaging plays an invaluable role in the pre-operative characterization of skull base lesions. Although rare, skull base surgeons should be aware of the ICH in the differential diagnosis process in case of the intrasellar lesion, and a tailored MRI examination should be performed to direct the patient toward the safest and optimal treatment.
Keywords: Cerebrovascular disorders; cavernous hemangioma; magnetic resonance imaging; pituitary neoplasms.