Haemangioma of the forehead: Radiographic diagnosis and definitive surgical treatment in a Japanese series

Abstract

Haemangioma of the skull is usually encountered as a solitary lesion, so few separate cases have been reported, and the protocol for treatment has not been confirmed. Here we describe its treatment in five consecutive Japanese patients. Three men and two women aged from 36 to 40 years were studied. The lesions were noticed in the left frontal bone, one in the supraorbital region and the rest in the forehead; they were 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. The preoperative diagnosis was made precisely by plain and tangential radiographs and computed tomographic (CT) views. Once the lesion was suspected, radical resection and immediate reconstruction were required to prevent recurrence. All five radical resections were reconstructed immediately by split calvarial bone harvested from the ipsilateral parietal bone in the same operative field. The postoperative course was uneventful in all cases, and the postoperative contour of the reconstructed site and the donor site were nearly perfect. There were no particular complications. Two to 10 years have passed without recurrence.

• Haemangioma of skull
• diagnosis
• radical resection
• reconstruction
• split calvarial bone graft