Cavernous hemangioma of infrahyoid carotid sheath and review of the literature on carotid sheath tumors.

Abstract

Carotid sheath may include a variety of lesions such as neurogenic or vascular, tumors originating from extra-adrenal chromaphil cells, squamous cell carcinomas, and lymphomas. Hemangiomas are benign congenital neoplasms, which, when located in the head and neck region, may be easily misdiagnosed due to their infrequent localization. We report an unusual case of cavernous hemangioma of the infrahyoid carotid sheath presenting as palpable mass in a 51-year-old woman with no prior medical history. A review of the literature was performed to investigate the radiological and histopathological characteristics and highlight the treatment of carotid sheath lesions. CT, MRI, and MR angiography would help to locate hemangiomas of carotid sheath, but only surgical excision and histopathology can reveal their true nature.