Sonographic appearance of a congenital parotid gland hemangiolymphangioma simulating malignancy in an infant.

Congenital hemangiolymphangioma, also called mixed angioma, is a benign tumor that very rarely occurs in the parotid gland. We present a rare case of hemangiolymphangioma of the parotid gland in a 4-month-old boy whose clinical and radiologic presentation simulated malignancy. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonography revealed an enlarged left parotid gland and inhomogeneous hypoechoic and hyperechoic areas scattered throughout the gland. Mild internal vascularity was noted on color Doppler sonographic examination. CT revealed a predominantly fatty mass involving the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. The results of fine-needle aspiration cytology were inconclusive, and total parotidectomy was performed. Histopathologic examination of surgical specimens confirmed a diagnosis of hemangio lymphangioma. The patient recovered well and was free of recurrence at the 6-month follow-up visit. To our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe the findings of congenital hemangiolymphangioma of the parotid gland on sonography and CT. This rare diagnosis should be considered in neonates and infants presenting with a rapidly growing parotid gland tumor suggesting malignancy. Histopathologic examination is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.