Cerebral hemangioma: causes, symptoms and treatment

Our vascular system is a fundamental element for our survival, since it allows the oxygen and nutrients that our cells need to reach them through the blood. Thus, our lives can be in serious danger if this system becomes damaged, depending on the area and the type of blood vessels affected.

Sometimes malformations or neoplasms occur in the form of uncontrolled growths and disorganized blood vessels which can also pose a danger especially if they occur in areas like the brain. This is what happens with cerebral hemangioma.

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What is a hemangioma?

A hemangioma is a type of neoplasm or uncontrolled growth of blood vessel cells.. They could be considered a type of benign tumor of the vascular system, which, like other tumors, can grow even though it is not malignant.

The hemangioma itself can appear in different regions of the body, such as the skin, but also in areas such as the lung, stomach, or brain. They can appear in the form of endothelial nodules or caverns filled with blood, which can burst and produce effusions with great ease.

Although in some cases they may not cause complications when they occur in organs such as the skin, when they appear in other organs such as lung or brain can have devastating consequences.

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brain hemangioma

Cerebral hemangioma, also called cavernous angioma, is a type of hemangioma that arises in one of the areas of the brain. They are generally considered the product of congenital malformations that are suffered from childhood and during development. In the case of cerebral hemangioma, the consequences of it producing bleeding can be really dangerous and even the death of the subject.

This is so because, similar to the aneurysm, the presence of a hemorrhage within the brain can flood and drown nearby nerve cells, causing his death and loss of functions. And even if the bleeding is self-contained within the nodule itself, it can cause the nodule to grow and compress areas of the brain. It can also cause a stroke.

Depending on the location, the consequences can be one or the other. It is common for headache, feeling of tiredness, seizures, sensory problems to appear. The presence of nausea and vomiting is also frequent. If they occur in the brainstem, they can affect cardiorespiratory or digestive function or even the death of the patient.

In most cases tend to appear supratentorially (ie above the cerebellum) in the frontal or temporal lobes, although they can also arise in the cerebellum and pons. Movement, language and reasoning ability could be impaired. In some cases, however, the cerebral hemangioma remains asymptomatic, despite the danger of bleeding.

Causes

brain hemangioma it is usually a congenital malformation in the form of a neoplasm. Its causes are currently little known. However, it has been detected that there are variations such as familial cavernous angioma in which the problem has been associated with genetic mutations on chromosome 7. In other cases in which it appears sporadically, it can occur due to de novo genetic mutations.

Hemangioma Treatment

Treating the presence of a brain hemangioma can be complex, and you have to take into account the possibility of complications.

In cases where the hemangioma remains stable and does not cause problems or bleeding, treatment may not be carried out beyond periodic monitoring of the case.

Otherwise, the main objective of interventions in this type of malformations is to stop the blood from circulating through them, so that the risks of bleeding are avoided and can be eliminated.

Since the surgery itself can be dangerous, it is usually reserved for cases where bleeding is occurring and the potential benefits outweigh the risks. The resection of the malformation must be complete, or else there is a risk of increased bleeding.

Several techniques can be used for this, hemangioma embolization being frequent. This procedure is based on the application of substances that clog the blood vessels, so that the blood vessel stops carrying blood and encysts. Once encysted, the nodules are removed. They can also be treated with corticosteroids if it is in a phase of slow growth, to reduce its size by reducing the level of inflammation of the angioma.

Bibliographic references:

• Cortes, J.J.; Barnabas, J.M.; Riera, N. and Arenas, J.J. (2009). Intracranial cavernous angiomas. Radiology; 51: 190-193. Alicante, Spain.

• Isla, A.; Alvarez, F.; Munoz, J.; We, J. and García-Blázquez, M. (1995). Treatment of cavernous angiomas. Neurosurgery; 6 (2):138-145. La Paz Hospital. Madrid.

• Fritschi, J.A.; Reulen, H.J.; Spetzler, R.F. & Zabramski, J.M. (1994). Cavernous malformations of the brain stem. A review of 139 cases. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 1994;130(1-4):35-46. Review.