[Cavernous hemangioma of the colon. Case report and review of the literature].

Colon and rectum hemangioma is a rare disease, and even more so when it presents as cavernous subtype; few of these hemangioma have been confirmed by pathology reports. The main presentation of this disease is observed by transrectal painless bleeding; other manifestations are less frequent. Diagnosis implies high index of suspicion and proper diagnostic workup; this entity has been frequently misdiagnosed as other more common entities. We present the case of a 15-year-old female patient with a cavernous hemangioma of the sigmoid colon; her principal complaint was abdominal pain. Diagnosis was suspected due to the finding of phleboliths in plain abdominal film and diagnostic findings in colonoscopy. The patient was treated by means of segmental resection of the colon and experienced a satisfactory postoperatory recovery. According to the literature, these hemangiomas originate from embryologic sequestrations of mesodermal tissue, while clinically they usually present between the ages of 5 and 25 years, most commonly with painless transrectal bleeding and less frequently with intestinal obstruction, tenesmus, urgency, abdominal pain or mass, and anemia. The majority of these hemangiomas are localized in rectosigmoid region of the colon and may infiltrate surrounding tissues; 26-50% show phleboliths in plain abdominal film. Colonoscopy is considered by many authors the best diagnostic tool; angiography, computed tomography (CT) scan and scintigraphy may be also useful. The only effective treatment of this disease is complete surgical resection, for which there have been many proposals regarding best method and approach.