Nonpalpable intramuscular hemangioma treated with hookwire localization and excision

Background The local recurrence rate after surgical excision of intramuscular hemangioma reported is between 18% and 61%. The aim of this study was to review the clinical outcome and local recurrence rate after surgical excision of nonpalpable intramuscular hemangioma using preoperative ultrasound-guided hookwire localization. Methods We performed ultrasound-guided hookwire localization before excision surgery for nonpalpable intramuscular hemangioma in 37 cases between January 1997 and 2011. There were 20 females and 17 males, with a mean age of 30.2 years (range, 17–49 years). The mean localization procedure time was 10.6 minutes (range, 3–20 minutes). Results The average operation time was 48.6 minutes (range, 30–80 minutes). The average length of the excision wound was 5 cm (range, 4–11 cm), and the average hospital stay was 2.5 days (range, 2–4 days). The postoperative therapeutic report confirmed the diagnosis of intramuscular hemangioma. The average tumor size was 2.11 cm and all excision margins were free in all specimens. After the mean follow-up of 92.9 months (range, 14–179 months), one of the 37 patients had local recurrence (recurrence rate 2.7%). Conclusion The use of ultrasound-guided hookwire localization before excision surgery is safe and effective in treating nonpalpable intramuscular hemangioma and could provide a better cosmetic result and functional recovery.