Cerebral cavernous hemangioma is not a tumor

  Cerebral cavernous hemangioma is not a tumor, but a cerebrovascular disease, a type of cerebrovascular malformation. Normally, blood in the body passes through arteries, reaches capillaries that supply body tissues, and then returns to the heart through veins. Cerebral cavernous hemangiomas can be understood simply as an accumulation of abnormal capillaries. Because these abnormal capillaries are fragile and prone to bleeding, their annual bleeding rate is around 0.5-1%.  Another common symptom is seizures. In the central nervous system, cavernous hemangiomas are common in the brainstem and spinal cord, in addition to being prone to occur in brain tissue. Whether a cerebral cavernous hemangioma requires treatment and what treatment is chosen needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis. For cavernous hemangiomas found incidentally and without symptoms, they can be closely observed and do not require special treatment. For those with bleeding, surgical treatment may be considered. The effectiveness of Gamma Knife in the treatment of cerebral cavernous hemangioma is controversial and may cause severe cerebral edema.