Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the common femoral vein: Case report and review of the literature

A young competitive skier had venous claudication. A stenosis of the left c ommon femoral vein was revealed by means of an examination. Exploration and vein patch angioplasty were performed, and because of both the unusual app earance (focal thickening of vein wall) and the unclear etiology of the les ion, frozen and permanent sections of the wall were obtained. Epithelioid h emangioendothelioma, a rare intravascular sarcoma, was revealed by means of an examination of the permanent sections. Two additional procedures were r equired to completely excise the epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. We discu ss these rare vascular malignancies and include a review of the available l iterature. Also, oncologic principles important in both the diagnosis and t herapy of intravascular sarcomas are discussed.