PLEURAL CAPILLARY HEMANGIOMA MIMICKING TRAUMATIC HEMATOMA: A RARE CASE OF MASSIVE HEMORRHAGIC EFFUSION

Caner İşevi, Mehmet Gökhan Pirzirenli, Feyza Bahar Doğan, Yurdanur Süllü, Burçin Çelik

Current Thoracic Surgery - 2025;10(3):166-169

Department of Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey

 

Pleural capillary hemangiomas are exceptionally rare vascular tumors that may present with massive pleural effusion, often mimicking traumatic hematoma or malignancy. Due to nonspecific clinical features and inconclusive imaging, diagnosis is often delayed. We present a 52-year-old woman with progressive dyspnea and left-sided pleural effusion. Imaging revealed a pleural-based lesion, but malignancy was not confirmed by cytology or bronchoscopy. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and histopathology confirmed capillary hemangioma. Surgical excision led to full recovery without recurrence. This case underscores the importance of considering benign vascular tumors in the differential diagnosis of unexplained pleural effusions.