orbital cavernous hemangioma behind left eye

[vlonjate80]

Hi doctor,
I was recently diagnosed with orbital cavernous hemangioma behind my left eye. What are the complications of this tumor? do they ever bleed on their own? and if they do bleed when the doctor is operationg on them, can bleeding cause death, in other words does the bleeding go to the brain, or does the bleeding cause blindness?

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,

Mary

[vlonjate80]

Hi again Doctor.

One more question regarding the previous question which you answered promptly and i appreciate it a lot.

Is it easy to distinguish between the orbital cavernous hemangioma and an angioma or metastatic cancer? i have heard they all look alike on the mri....how can then a doctor distinguish and come up with the diagnosis of hemangioma?

Thanks so much!

[Houman Vosoghi, MD]

Orbital cavernous hemangioma is the most common benign (non-cancerous) orbital tumor in adults and is more common in middle aged women.  It can grow and cause problems including hyperopia, intraocular pressure elevation, double vision, or optic nerve compression.  You need to consult an experienced orbital surgeon in this regard to see how large it is and whether it is causing any problems.  They sometimes could be watched for years without surgery and are unlikely to bleed on their own spontaneously from what I remember.  It does have a capsule around it so it shouldn't be hard for a good surgeon to take it out in one piece if it is causing cosmetic issues or one of the problems I mentioned above.  It would be almost unheard of for someone to die from bleeding during such an operation and it should not go back toward the brain.  The eye is at some risk from this kind of surgery if the optic nerve is compressed or damaged and here is why you need a good and experienced orbital surgeon to take it out (if it needs to be taken out).

HV