Cavernous Hemangioma of the Esophagus

¹ Department of Surgery, University of California Medical Center, and San Francisco General Hospital

A large hemangioma that partially obstructed the esophageal lumen and also compromised the glottis was removed surgically in a five-month-old baby. The contribution of this lesion to the child's over-all problems cannot be accurately determined but, because of its location and its ability to shunt food and fluids into the trachea, it probably played a major role in the establishment of chronic and later fatal pneumonic processes. It is possible that earlier excision of the lesion might have allowed the first few pneumonic episodes to clear completely.

A cavernous hemangioma at the lower end of the esophagus in a 67-year-old man was apparently asymptomatic during his life time. Massive fatal exsanguination occurred due to erosion of the mucosa overlying the hemangioma. In each case, the vascular lesion was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of the patient.