# Intramuscular Hemangioma of the Tongue: Imaging Features of a Rare Entity

## TL;DR

This paper presents a rare case of a benign blood vessel tumor in the tongue muscle, highlighting the role of imaging and surgery in diagnosis and treatment.

## Contribution

The paper reports a rare case of intramuscular hemangioma in the tongue and emphasizes the value of MRI and surgery in its management.

## Key findings

- MRI showed a well-defined, hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted imaging with intense post-contrast enhancement.
- Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of intramuscular cavernous hemangioma after surgical removal.
- Multimodality imaging and radio-pathological correlation are critical for diagnosing rare tongue hemangiomas.

## Abstract

Intramuscular hemangioma (IMH) is a rare benign vascular tumor arising from skeletal muscle. Head and neck involvement is rare, with tongue muscles being extremely rare. IMHs present as a slow-growing mass. They are painless; however, sometimes, they may cause speech difficulties or bleeding. Imaging is essential for diagnosis and surgical planning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides superior soft tissue characterization. This is a case report of a 25-year-old woman with a complaint of a painless swelling over the dorsum of the tongue. MRI revealed a well-circumscribed, lobulated lesion appearing hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), with few flow voids, showing intense post-contrast enhancement. Complete transoral excision was performed, and histopathology confirmed the lesion as an intramuscular cavernous hemangioma. This case focuses on the importance of multimodality imaging and radio-pathological correlation in the diagnosis and management of rare intramuscular tongue hemangiomas.