1993 Volume 86 Issue 12 Pages 1747-1751
A 72-year-old woman had noted left submandibular swelling for 7 years. On examination a 5 × 5 cm smooth, hard, fixed, painless mass was palpable in the left submandibular area. CT scan showed a circumscribed, isodense mass near the bifurcation of the carotid artery. Extirpation of the tumor was performed. The pathological diagnosis was intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia. The postoperative course was good, and the patient remains free of disease more than 5 months after surgery.
Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia is characterized by intravascular endothelial proliferation that resembles angiosarcoma. This disease seems to be the result of a peculiar process of thrombus undergoing organization. The prognosis is good, and the treatment is usually total extirpation of the tumor.