Cavernous Hemangioma of the Orbit

HEMANGIOMAS are very common lesions of the skin and soft tissues, and have been estimated to be present in 1% to 2% of all full term infants.1The majority of cutaneous hemangiomas are present at birth or appear within the first six months of life. They frequently have a period of rapid growth concomitant with that of the child, and then the majority spontaneously regress or at least show evidence of regression by the age of 5.2Largely for these reasons, hemangiomas are usually considered to be developmental anomalies (ie, hamartomas), rather than true neoplasms. In contrast, a few vascular lesions are unequivocally neoplastic; these show progressive growth, and the rare malignant ones may metastasize and kill. A useful working classification is the division of hemangiomas into polymorphic and monomorphic groups. The former generally reproduce the whole structure of the vessel wall, are considered to be developmental anomalies,