Erectile intramuscular hemangioma of the masseter muscle: A report of a case

We report a rare case of erectile intramuscular hemangioma of the masseter muscle. The patient, a 41-year-old female, complained of a mass on the left cheek. Physical examination revealed a soft mass that was apparent only when the patient masticated. Computed tomography with contrast enhancement revealed a hypovascular mass with peripheral rim enhancement. On contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, a well-defined mass was identified within the posterior portion of the masseter muscle. The mass exhibited high signal intensity at its peripheral rim on T2-weighted images and showed isointense signal intensity to muscle on T1-weighted images. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed only blood. These findings were supportive of an erectile intramuscular hemangioma. The mass was completely removed by the submandibular approach without postoperative complications. Histopathological examination of the mass revealed a vascular tumor composed of variably sized, thin-walled veins between skeletal muscle fibers, confirming the diagnosis of a racemose hemangioma. Computed tomography with vascular enhancement and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging were useful in the presurgical diagnosis of this intramuscular hemangioma.