De novo cavernoma case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND De novo cavernoma, reported with the familial form of disease, is rare in cases with a negative family history. Cranial radiation, coexistent vascular malformation, genetic and hormonal factors, previous surgery for intracranial lesions, or other apparently unrelated intracranial lesions have been reported as risk factors. METHODS We report a case of de novo cavernoma without a family history and without previous irradiation or any other known risk factors. The genesis of this lesion is discussed. RESULTS To our knowledge, this is the first case, based on two separate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, demonstrating evidence of de novo cavernous malformations in the absence of familial history, brain radiation therapy, or other apparently unrelated intracranial tissue lesions. Based on previous negative computed tomography scans, other cases have been presented as de novo cavernous angiomas; thus it is possible that the newly discovered cavernoma existed previously but had been missed on previous poorer quality or lower resolution imaging studies. CONCLUSIONS Cavernoma can arise even without an associated family history; in our case, a previous head injury could have set off either a genetic cascade with attendant endothelial proliferation or a latent virus.