Gamma knife radiosurgery for cavernous hemangiomas in the cavernous sinus. Report of three cases.

A cavernous hemangioma occurring in the cavernous sinus is a rare vascular tumor that causes cranial nerve symptoms by direct compression. Surgical removal is often difficult because excessive intraoperative bleeding is expected. These lesions remain a therapeutic challenge even with state-of-the-art treatment modalities. The authors report three cases of cavernous hemangioma occurring in the cavernous sinus that were treated with gamma knife radiosurgery, with a mean patient age of 66 years and a mean tumor volume of 2.3 cm3.