Mediastinal hemangioma and aortic coarctation - a rare combination (a clinical case)

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a congenital heart defect characterized by narrowing of the aortic lumen, most often in the region of the isthmus, leading to impaired systemic blood flow. Hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor that occurs in about 10% of infants, more frequently in girls. In most cases, they are asymptomatic; however, when large, they may compress adjacent structures such as the aorta or airways, leading to hemodynamic compromise or respiratory disorders. Aim - to present a clinical case of a rare combination of a cutaneous hemangioma of the chest wall, a mediastinal hemangioma, and coarctation of the aorta in a one-month-old infant, highlighting the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Clinical case. A one-month-old infant, born at 35 weeks of gestation as the second of twins conceived via in vitro fertilization, was noted to have a large hemangioma on the anterior chest wall. Before initiating beta-blocker therapy, the child was referred to a cardiologist, and echocardiography revealed coarctation of the aorta with a high pressure gradient. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a massive mediastinal vascular tumor extending to major vessels, which precluded radical surgical repair of the heart defect due to the high risk of massive intraoperative bleeding. Under these circumstances, balloon angioplasty was performed, resulting in partial reduction of the pressure gradient, after which beta-blocker therapy was initiated, with the plan for radical correction following hemangioma regression. Conclusions. In our case, the chest wall hemangioma prompted extended diagnostic evaluation, which enabled timely identification of not only the mediastinal tumor but also coarctation of the aorta. This emphasizes the importance of comprehensive evaluation of children with hemangiomas to rule out associated vascular anomalies, including aortic arch involvement and PHACES syndrome. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from participant. The authors declare no conflict of interest.