Solitary Giant Hemangioma of the Humerus

Abstract

Osseous hemangiomas are mainly seen in the skull or spine and rarely occur in other bones. They are small lesions usually localized in the metaphyseal and diaphyseal regions. This article describes a rare case of a giant intraosseous hemangioma occupying nearly the whole humerus for 28 years. Initially, the patient, a 36-year-old woman, had been misdiagnosed with fibrous hyperplasia of the left humerus. We intended to curette the lesions and transplant fibula to fill the bone defect, but the initial surgical attempt could not be completed due to massive intraoperative bleeding. In the second surgery, she was treated by blocking the blood flow of the subclavian artery temporarily through a balloon catheter, curetting lesions, and filling the defect of bone with bone cement and K-wires. At 12-month follow-up, there was no evidence of local recurrence of hemangioma or loosening of bone cement. However, longer-term follow-up is needed to confirm the success of the surgery. Although hemangiomas of long bone are rare, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bone tumors.