Venous malformation of the lung in an infant

Abstract

Venous malformation of the lung is an extremely rare condition, and it is even rarer in infants. We present a case of cavernous hemangioma classified as venous malformation of the lung in an infant, which was initially diagnosed and treated as pneumonia. The patient was a 9-month-old boy with a history of cavernous hemangioma on the right sole of the foot that was treated with resection at 8 months of age. He presented with the symptoms of upper respiratory inflammation of 2 weeks' duration. A localized mass was found in the lower right lung field on chest radiography, and a 5-cm tumorous lesion was detected on computed tomography. Although there were no imaging findings suggesting malignancy, a malignant disease could not be ruled out because CA 19-9, CA 125, and alpha-fetoprotein levels were slightly elevated. We performed surgery on the infant, and the postoperative pathology revealed a cavernous hemangioma of the lung. This case emphasizes the fact that this rare lesion should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary masses in infants. Keywords: Venous malformation, Cavernous hemangioma, Lung, Children, Infant