Giant cerebral cavernoma. Case report with literature review

Abstract

Giant cerebral cavernoma is a rare malformation classified as a brain occult vascular lesion. We report a case of initially misdiagnosed giant cavernous angioma revealed by a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. A 40-year-old woman was admitted with right hemiplegia and altered consciousness occurring 3 days prior to presentation. A non-contrast CT scan showed a left parietal gross hematoma, and she was immediately taken to the operating room for emergency surgery. However, the procedure was interrupted by massive bleeding, and therefore a vascular lesion was suspected. Magnetic resonance images suggested a giant cavernous malformation. Afterward, she underwent total removal of this lesion. The postoperative period was uneventful, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. Thus, the differential diagnosis of gross spontaneous intracerebral hematoma should include giant cavernous angioma.