Case Study: Gallbladder Hemangioma Coexisting with Gallstones

Trucco, G., Chiusa, L., Tandoi, F. et al have reported the first case of gallbladder hemangioma coexisting with gallstones that has been published in BMC Surgery. The case reveals that gallbladder hemangiomas are an uncommon and usually undiagnosed disorder that might go unnoticed during the preoperative workup.

The most frequent benign vascular tumor is a hemangioma. Although they are common, they often manifest as superficial, commonly cutaneous lesions, with around 60% of these lesions occurring in the head and neck area. Hemangiomas have largely been documented in the liver, where they are one of the most prevalent benign neoplasms, affecting 5% of the general population. Gallbladder hemangiomas, on the other hand, are extremely rare, with just 10 occurrences recorded in the literature to date.

Case Study

A 76-year-old man was admitted to the hospital after experiencing frequent episodes of epigastric discomfort. Primary hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hyperuricemia were all part of the patient's medical history. Physical examination indicated right hypochondriac discomfort, and laboratory workup revealed modestly increased glycemia and pancreatic amylase (60 IU/L). An abdominal ultrasound revealed several gallstones, a thicker gallbladder wall, moderate perivisceral adipose tissue edema, and a hepatic angioma. During surgery, a 1 cm subserosal nodule was discovered within the gallbladder fundus. Following surgery, the patient's clinical course was uneventful, and he was discharged. The subserosal nodule's histopathology revealed several dilated vascular channels within a sclerosing matrix, indicating a cavernous hemangioma.

The frequent integration of gallbladder hemangiomas with added angiomatous lesions, in numerous or a single other organ such as the vocal cords or the liver, on the other hand, calls the aforementioned hypothesis into question and may point to a common propensity for the development of these lesions.

The current case study is the first to describe a gallbladder hemangioma coexisting with gallstones. Gallbladder hemangioma is an uncommon, likely underreported phenomenon that might go unnoticed. An accurate estimate of the incidence of gallbladder hemangiomas might assist shed light on the underlying pathophysiological processes, which are currently unknown.

Reference

Trucco, G., Chiusa, L., Tandoi, F. et al. First report of a gallbladder hemangioma coexisting with gallstones: a case report and literature review of a rare finding. BMC Surg 22, 128 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-022-01554-7