Abstract:

Objective    To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma (PSH) and to deepen the understanding of PSH. Methods    Clinical data from 18 patients with PSH, who underwent surgical resection in the Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University from April 2004 to March 2010, and the related literature were retrospectively reviewed. Results    Of the 18 patients with PSH confirmed by histopathology, 2 were males and 16 were females. The median age was 41.6 years, ranging from 18 to 56 years. 12 patients were detected by physical examination, while 4 patients presented with cough, 1 with cough and chest pain, and 1 with blood-stained sputum. The imaging examination generally revealed the peripherally solitary, well-circumscribed, and round or similarly round nodule with homogeneous density, and partly punctiform calcification. All these 18 patients received surgical resection without complications and mortality, 8 with lobectomy, 1 with wedge resection and 9  with tumor enucleation. No recurrence and no metastasis were detected during follow-ups. Conclusions    Clinical characteristics and imaging examinations of PSH are lack of specificity, and the accurate diagnosis depends on pathological examination. PSH should be suspected in middle-aged female patients with a peripherally solitary, well-circumscribed, and round or similarly round nodule of homogeneous density, whether the patients present symptoms or not. Surgical resection is effective for PSH.

Key words: Lung neoplasms; Sclerosing hemangioma; Diagnosis; Surgical treatment