Benign vascular malformation. Grossly, cavernous hemangiomas are blue, soft and spongy. Histologically, the lesion is characterized by large, thin walled blood vessels completely filled with blood. Evidence of previous hemorrhage often seen. Present as blue lesions.
Tumors are most often only of cosmetic significance.
However, when present in the brain, hemorrhage can be a lethal consequence. In von Hippel-Lindau disease, several of these lesions are seen, in the cerebellum, brain stem and abdominal viscera. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. Search Medline at National Library of Medicine Please be patient during transfer. Medline will open in a new window.