Hemorrhagic giant cerebral capillary telangiectasia resulting in death: Case report and literature review

We report a rare case of death caused by hemorrhage of a giant cerebral central nervous system capillary telangiectasia (CCT). A 49-year-old female presented comatose after suffering a traumatic head injury due to an unwitnessed fall. Computed tomography of the head revealed an acute 8.1 x 5.2 cm right intraparenchymal hematoma. Postmortem pathology found thin-walled dilated capillaries consistent with a giant cerebral CCT. The radiological complexity and rarity of giant CCTs result in these malformations often going undiagnosed. We review other cases of giant intracranial CCTs reported in the English literature and confirm that this is the first case of a hemorrhagic giant cerebral CCT causing death. This report emphasizes the existence and complications of giant CCTs and stresses the importance of their investigation to ensure patients receive optimal treatment and follow-up.