[Familial forms of intracranial cavernous hemangioma. Apropos of 5 cases in 2 families].

The authors report five cases of cavernous hemangioma belonging to two families. In the first family, an 8 year old child was operated on in 1970 for a left frontal location. His mother, aged 39, was operated on in december, 1981, with stereotaxic approach, for two locations: one was frontal location, the other one was in the pineal region. Among the second family, a 21 year old woman was operated on in december 1976, for a cerebellar cavernous hemangioma. Her sister, aged 18, presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage in january 1980. C.T. scan showed a right temporal high attenuation area. This patient was not operated on. The aunt to those two sisters was operated on in october, 1981, for a left temporal cavernous hemangioma. Those five cases represent about half of the intracranial cavernous hemangiomas operated on in the Lille Neurosurgery Department since 1967. Even, unusual, the familial occurrence of this affection must be admitted. It shows a nosological interest, but also allows prevention by searching and surveying the asymptomatic cases, or genetic evaluation of disease risk.