A Rare Case of Cavernous Haemangioma of the Adrenal Gland: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Abstract

Cavernous haemangiomas, also known as cavernoma or cavernous angiomas, are clusters of vasculature malformations arising from the endothelial layer of blood vessels. They are commonly found in the central nervous systems, skin, or liver. Rarely, they can also affect adrenal glands, a phenomenon with only 66 cases since the first case was reported in the literature in 1955 and 2018. Adrenal cavernous haemangiomas are typically non-functioning and found incidentally on radiological imaging. Here, we present the case of a 79-year-old male who was referred by a district general hospital to our tertiary centre with an incidentaloma of the left adrenal gland which was first noted in 2014 measuring 6 cm. A repeat computed tomography in 2020 revealed the mass was 20.8 cm. In 2020, the growing mass was causing anaemia and abdominal discomfort due to displacement of the surrounding viscera. The initial radiological impression performed in another hospital of the indeterminate mass was highly suspicious of primary adrenal malignancy. The decision was made to operate prior to biopsy as biopsy was deemed high risk for dissemination of primary malignancy of the adrenal. The patient subsequently underwent a radical open left adrenalectomy in September 2020. The diagnosis of adrenal cavernous haemangioma was made on histopathological examination post-surgery. Published literature on this rare adrenal tumour between 2019 and 2021 is also reviewed in this paper.