Cavernous hemangioma of the posterior mediastinum with bony invasion.

We herein report a case of a cavernous hemangioma of the posterior mediastinum treated with surgical resection. Mediastinal hemangiomas are rare and diagnosis is difficult prior to operation. A 58-year-old female was referred to our hospital for back pain and a tumor in the left posterior mediastinum that was detected by chest computed tomography (CT). CT showed a tumor adjacent to the left side of the fifth thoracic vertebrae measuring 60 × 50 mm with invasion into and destruction of the 5th rib. The tumor was resected successfully via hemilaminectomy with costotransversectomy, and was revealed to be a cavernous hemangioma histologically. 1 year and 5 months after surgery, the patient was asymptomatic and without a recurrence. Hemangiomas are usually considered benign but sometimes behave aggressively with destruction of the neighboring structures. We consider en bloc resection to be safe and effective for aggressive cavernous hemangiomas of the posterior mediastinum.