Endoscopic endonasal resection of cavernous hemangioma of the palate

Abstract

Hemangiomas are a common presentation in the head and neck, but intraosseous hemangiomas are exceedingly rare and account for only 1% of bone tumors. The hard palate is a unique anatomic structure consisting of mucosa rich in minor salivary glands, and is firmly attached to the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of the palatine bone. Neoplasms of the hard palate are extremely rare and may display unique characteristics and histologic findings. Whether benign or malignant, the therapy of choice for such tumors is surgical excision performed through a transoral approach, which carries a significant risk of oronasal and oroantral fistula formation. This paper describes the use of an endoscopic endonasal technique for resection of a rare case of a cavernous hemangioma of the hard palate. Resection of favorable benign lesions like palatal hemangiomas are more likely to be successful via this endoscopic endonasal technique which avoids the traditional transoral palatal approach and thus reduces the risk of oronasal and oroantral fistulae. No complications in the immediate postoperative nor within a 1-year follow-up period were observed.

Keywords

• Palate hemangioma
• Head and neck hemangioma
• Cavernous hemangioma
• Endoscopic surgery
• Endoscopy
• Endonasal resection
• Transpalatal approach