Cavernous hemangioma of the rib: A case report

Abstract

Hemangioma of the rib is a rare benign vascular tumor. Herein, we report a 63-year-old man presenting with hemangioma of the left sixth rib. An osteolytic eccentric expansive mass with calcification and focal cortical disruption was detected on chest computed tomography (CT). The mass showed low 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) avidity on positron emission tomography. The patient underwent resection of the left sixth rib. Based on the histopathology findings, a diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma was made. Rib hemangiomas and malignant lesions appear similar on CT scans; therefore, most cases of rib hemangiomas reported in the literature were treated with rib resection. However, rib hemangiomas should be included in the differential diagnosis of an asymptomatic patient if an osteolytic expansive lesion containing sunburst calcifications with low 18F-FDG avidity is observed on a CT scan.