A case of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia arising in the tongue

This report describes a case of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) arising in the tongue.A 29-year-old woman was referred to our department because of swelling of the rongue on April 26, 2003. She had noticed a painless nodule 1 month before presentationt.Physical examination revealed a movable, darkpurple nodule, 17×14×12mm in size, on the left side of the tongue.A clinical diagnosis of a benign tumor was made, and excision of the tumor was performed under general anesthesia on July 3.Histopathologically, the lesion was characterized by papillary proliferation of endothelial cells within thrombi. A histopathological diagnosis of IPEH (pure form) was made.The postoperative course was uneventful, and there was no evidence of recurrence 3 years after the operation.