Cavernous angioma of the cavernous sinus: case report.

An unusual case of cavernous angioma in the cavernous sinus ("cavernous cavernoma") is presented. The acute onset of symptoms simulated Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, and after neuroradiological investigations, the suspected diagnosis was an intracavernous meningioma. Macroscopical intraoperative and histopathological findings demonstrated a cavernous angioma. The lesion was completely removed from the cavernous sinus without additional neurological deficits and with improvement of the symptoms. Three additional cases in the literature are reviewed. The rarity of these lesions and the management problems related to their location in the cavernous sinus are stressed.