Intramedullary ossified cavernous angioma of the spinal cord: case report

Intramedullary spinal cavernous malformations with high ossification: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Cavernous malformations of the spinal cord are a rare type of vascular malformation, comprising approximately 5 to 16% of all vascular lesions in the spinal cord. Depending on their origin position, these malformations can be distributed in different locations within the spinal canal. Although intramedullary cavernous malformations have been reported in the literature, they are exceedingly rare. Furthermore, highly calcified or ossified intramedullary cavernous spinal malformations are even rarer.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here, we present a case report of a 28-year-old woman diagnosed with a thoracic intramedullary cavernous malformation. The patient had been experiencing progressive numbness in her distal limbs for a period of 2 months. During routine lung computed tomography screening for COVID-19, a hyperdense mass was noted in the patient's spinal canal. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mulberry-shaped intramedullary mass at the T1-2 level. The patient underwent surgical treatment, during which the entire lesion was successfully removed, resulting in a gradual improvement of her symptoms. Histological examination confirmed the presence of cavernous malformations with calcification.

CONCLUSIONS

Intramedullary cavernous malformations with calcification are rare and special type that should be treated surgically in the early stage without significant neurological impairment before rebleeding or enlargement of the lesion can occur.

Thoracic intramedullary cavernous malformation with posttraumatic hematomyelia: case report and literature review

Although intramedullary spinal cord cavernous malformations are now well described, there have been, to our knowledge, no prior reports focusing on presentation after trauma. We report a patient with a thoracic intramedullary cavernous malformation presenting with hematomyelia and acute neurologic deterioration after spinal chiropractic manipulation. A review of previously published case reports then identifies additional cases of deterioration after spinal cord trauma or exertion. Traumatic injury and exertion may be uncommon but real causes of hematomyelia in intramedullary cavernous malformations of the spinal cord. The frequency of such presentations is estimated to be 1.37% to 4.79%.

Metaplastic bone formation in a low grade conus glioma: case report and review of the literature

Calcifications associated with both benign and neoplastic intra-axial lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) are well recognized. Bony metaplasia in the CNS, where there is formation of mature trabecular bone, is a much more rare entity and has not been reported in the spinal cord. We present a case of bony metaplasia in the conus medullaris associated with a low grade astrocytoma. Radiological, pathological and clinical features of this unique case are discussed.