Cystic haemangioma of the spleen: findings on ultrasound and computed tomography

Abstract

A case of cystic haemangioma of the spleen is reported. Although haemangioma is the commonest benign tumour of the spleen, the majority are of the small capillary type found incidentally at autopsy. Symptomatic cystic haemangioma is rare. Even less common is the diagnosis considered pre-operatively. This has been facilitated in recent years by non-invasive imaging modalities. The appearances on computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound and the duplex ultrasound properties are described and correlated with the pathological findings. The use of duplex ultrasound has not previously been reported for this tumour.