Cavernous venous malformation

Cavernous venous malformation, also traditionally referred to as a cavernous hemangioma (despite it not being a tumor) or cavernomas, are non-neoplastic slow flow venous malformations found in many parts of the body. 

Terminology

Despite the ubiquity of use of the traditional terms cavernoma, hemangioma and cavernous hemangioma, they represent outdated and misleading nomenclature no longer recognized in the ISSVA classification of vascular anomalies. 

Having said that when reporting it is probably safest to include the 'traditional' term in brackets for clarity, for example, "features are those of a slow flow venous malformation (cavernous venous malformation/cavernoma)" 

Regional manifestations

Their radiographic appearance, epidemiology, clinical presentation and treatment are specific to the tissue/organ in which they are found and as such these are discussed individually according to location. 

• central nervous system

  • cerebral cavernous venous malformation

  • spinal cord cavernous malformation

  • extradural spinal cavernous malformation

• head and neck

  • cavernous sinus hemangioma

  • orbital cavernous venous malformation

  • skull vault hemangioma

• chest

  • breast venous malformation (breast hemangioma)

  • cardiac venous malformations

  • mediastinal hemangioma

  • pericardial hemangioma

• abdominal

  • adrenal hemangioma

  • hepatic venous malformation (hepatic hemangioma)

  • splenic venous malformation (splenic hemangioma)

  • retroperitoneal hemangioma

• musculoskeletal

  • soft tissue hemangioma

  • synovial hemangioma

  • primary intraosseous hemangioma

  • vertebral hemangioma