Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Hemangioma of the urinary bladder is rare and the long term outcome of patients is unknown.

METHODS:

The authors evaluated the clinical and pathologic findings in 19 patients with a vesical hemangioma. All patients were treated at the Mayo Clinic between 1932-1998 and had histologic confirmation of the diagnosis. Hemangioma was classified into cavernous, capillary, or arteriovenous types based on conventional criteria from other sites. Clinical information was obtained from chart review. The mean follow-up of the patients was 6.9 years (range, 0.3-25 years).

RESULTS:

The mean patient age at the time of diagnosis was 58 years (range, 19-76 years) and the male-to-female ratio was 3.7:1. Patients typically presented with macroscopic hematuria and endoscopic findings usually were nonspecific. The diagnosis of hemangioma was suspected in 3 patients (16%) prior to biopsy. There was a predilection for the posterior and lateral walls and the tumor usually was small (range, 0.2-3 cm; median, 0.7 cm) and solitary. The histologic types of hemangioma were cavernous (15 cases), capillary (2 cases), and arteriovenous (2 cases). All patients were treated with biopsy with or without fulguration, except for one patient who was treated with a partial cystectomy. No patients developed a recurrence during a mean follow-up of 6.9 years.

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients with hemangioma of the urinary bladder have a favorable outcome. Biopsy and fulguration are effective for hemangioma of the bladder when the lesion is small.