Total spondylectomy of a symptomatic hemangioma of the lumbar spine

J Clin Neurosci. 2007 Aug;14(8):806-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2006.06.004.

Abstract

A vertebral hemangioma with dural compression and neurological deficit is rare. We report a symptomatic lumbar vertebral hemangioma which was successfully managed with total spondylectomy. The patient was a 31-year-old man whose chief complaint was low back pain. He had a slight sensory disturbance in the right thigh. Plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tumor in the second lumbar vertebra, which extended into the spinal canal, compressing the dura. A percutaneous needle biopsy did not provide a pathological diagnosis. Before surgery, the arteries feeding the tumor were embolized using coils. We performed a total spondylectomy of the second lumbar vertebra with anterior reconstruction with a glass ceramic spacer and posterior instrumentation. The intraoperative pathological examination revealed a hemangioma of the lumbar spine. At the 4-year follow-up examination, the patient is completely asymptomatic without evidence of tumor recurrence.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Angiography / methods
  • Hemangioma / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Laminectomy*
  • Lumbar Vertebrae / surgery*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Spinal Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods