Accuracy of frozen section-based diagnosis of pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma

Abstract

We analyzed the clinical and pathological features of nine pulmonary sclerosing hemangiomas. The age of patients ranged from 47 to 68 years, and they were predominantly female. The tumor size ranged from 8 to 45 mm. All patients underwent surgical resection. Intraoperative biopsy (frozen section) was performed for eight cases. The sensitivity for the intraoperative diagnosis of sclerosing hemangioma was only 50% (four cases). When sufficient specimens could not be obtained or they showed a predominantly papillary pattern, they indicated the possibility of malignant tumors. All cases had an excellent prognosis without recurrence. Limited but complete resection can be a definitive, curative method for pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma. However, it is difficult to diagnose preoperatively and even intraoperatively. We have to understand the practical limitations of intraoperatively diagnosing pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma and review fixed, stained sections carefully.