Rationale:
Intramuscular hemangiomas are unique benign vascular tumours of skeletal muscles; involving masseter and trapezius muscles in the majority of cases. The rationale was to emphasize that the diagnosis of asymptomatic swelling in the masseteric region is important as due to their deep anatomic location and unfamiliar presentation, they are often misdiagnosed as a parotid swelling or other muscular pathologies.
Patient concern:
This report describes a rare case of a 25-year-old healthy male patient who presented with an asymptomatic swelling in the right masseteric region. The patient had cosmetic concerns due to the large size.
Diagnosis:
Colour Doppler ultrasonography was done to assess the vascularity within the lesion.
Treatment:
Complete excision was successfully achieved using combined Risdon's and preauricular approach.
Outcome:
No signs of recurrence were observed after 6 months.
Take-away lessons:
Appropriate selection of diagnostic modalities enables the clinician in making an accurate preoperative diagnosis of progressive swelling in the masseteric region.