What is the Difference Between Cavernous and Capillary Hemangioma?

Cavernous and capillary hemangiomas are two types of vascular tumors that can occur in different locations of the body. They have distinct characteristics and appearances:

Cavernous Hemangioma:

Composed of clumps of dark intraretinal aneurysms.
Has a "cluster-of-grapes" aspect.
Thin-walled capillaries are tightly packed.
Prone to bleeding.
Can occur in the brain, brainstem, spine, or other areas of the body.
May cause seizures, intracranial hemorrhages, or death if located in the brain.

Capillary Hemangioma:

Composed of tortuous, large-diameter capillaries lined by normal endothelium.
Separated by polygonal interstitial stromal cells.
Rapid hyperfluorescence is observed in fluorescein angiography.

In the context of orbital hemangiomas, cavernous hemangiomas have much larger lumens, wider and more heavily collagenized trabeculae, and vascular walls created by multilaminar smooth muscle cells. In contrast, capillary hemangiomas consist of two variably admixed zones: solid cellular zones and zones with open vascular lumens, with each vascular unit composed of endothelial cells and pericytes.

On this page

What is the Difference Between Cavernous and Capillary Hemangioma?

Comparative Table: Cavernous vs Capillary Hemangioma

The main difference between cavernous and capillary hemangioma lies in the size and organization of the blood vessels within the tumors. Here is a table summarizing the differences between the two:

Feature	Cavernous Hemangioma	Capillary Hemangioma
Size of blood vessels	Large, thin-walled vessels or sinusoids	Many small capillaries
Organization	Clusters of blood vessels that are widely packed	Clusters of blood vessels that are tightly packed
Common location	Oral cavity, facial skeleton, liver	Skin, facial skeleton
Presentation at birth	Usually occurs in adulthood	Often present at birth
Symptoms	Seizures, blurred or loss of vision, facial drooping, unsteady muscle movements	Red birthmark on the skin, common in premature infants and girls
Treatment	Surgical removal, depending on size and location	Observation, as they often regress on their own

Both cavernous and capillary hemangiomas are non-cancerous tumors that develop within the early stages of life and are treatable.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.