Abstract

Diffuse cavernous hemangioma of the rectum (DCHR) is a rare benign vascular lesion usually seen in young adults. The presenting symptom is painless recurrent rectal bleeding. Herein, we report a 5 year-old male patient with a history of DCHR. He had been diagnosed with DCHR at his birth. The definite diagnosis was made on the basis of biopsy wich was performed during colonoscopic examination. The patient underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination which revealed characteristic signal intensity features of the tumor and also determined the exact location and extent of the lesion. The tumor had only minimally progressed in size compared to the last MRI examination. Currently, the patient is on medical treatment and being followed up by MRI. DCHRs are rarely encountered and often misdiagnosed because they can mimic internal hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, carcinoma and various other pathological conditions. In conclusion, we can emphasize that despite its rarity, DCHR should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young patients presenting with painless recurrent rectal bleeding.

Key words: Diffuse cavernous hemangioma, diagnosis, rectal bleeding