Aggressive hemangioma of the thoracic spine

Aggressive Thoracic Spine Hemangioma in a 13-Year-Old Boy: A Case Report with Literature Review

Introduction

Most vertebral hemangiomas are latent and don't not require specific treatment; few cases present with symptoms, usually pain. Rarely, they manifest aggressively, causing neurological deficits from spinal cord compression.

Case Report

This case report describes a 13-year-old boy whose gait disturbance investigation revealed an aggressive T6 hemangioma.

Conclusion

Diagnosis is typically determined by imaging changes. Surgical treatment is indicated for cases with neurological deficits. Emergency decompression with laminectomy is required for rapid, progressive deficits, with radiotherapy considered based on extraosseous involvement. Level of Evidence IV. Case report.

Sacral tumors: a comprehensive review of imaging, diagnostic challenges, and tumor mimics

The sacrum can harbor a diverse group of both benign and malignant tumors, including metastases. Primary tumors of the sacrum can arise from bone, cartilage, marrow, notochordal remnants, or surrounding nerves and vessels. Among a variety of primary tumors of the spine, chordoma, germ cell tumors and Ewing's sarcoma are recognized for their propensity to occur in the sacrum. Imaging is essential in diagnosis, pretreatment evaluation, and assessment of response to treatment. Radiography, CT and MRI are the primary modalities in assessing morphology and tumor extent whereas PET/CT is crucial in the evaluation of systemic disease in the setting of myeloma, lymphoproliferative disease, and metastasis. A definitive diagnosis is not always achievable by imaging as some tumors lack specific imaging features. However, as we detail in this comprehensive review, many entities have characteristic clinical and epidemiological factors as well as typical imaging findings that can help make either a confident diagnosis or offer a narrow list of differentials. We discuss a wide range of benign and malignant, primary, and secondary tumors that can involve the sacrum, highlighting the pertinent clinical details and typical imaging findings of these entities, enabling the reader to develop and apply a systematic approach to evaluating sacral masses on imaging. We also briefly describe non-neoplastic tumor mimics, which include developmental entities, infections, and insufficiency fractures.

Atypical Aggressive Hemangioma of Thoracic Vertebrae Associated With Thoracic Myelopathy-A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Aggressive thoracic hemangiomas are rare, benign tumors that extend into the spinal canal and cause neurological symptoms. Delayed diagnosis and treatment, due to a paucity of literature on optimal treatment strategies, can increase morbidity. This case report describes a 19-year-old male patient with aggressive thoracic hemangioma who presented with upper back pain and progressive weakness of the lower extremities. The patient underwent preoperative embolization and sclerotherapy, followed by decompression, posterior instrumentation, and stabilization. The final diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy, and there was a significant improvement in neurology after the surgical intervention. The diagnosis of rare lesions, such as aggressive hemangiomas, requires a high level of clinical suspicion and the assistance of imaging modalities in patients with features of compressive myelopathy. A combination of endovascular and surgical approaches can lead to optimal outcomes.

Aggressive thoracic vertebral hemangioma: case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Vertebral hemangiomas are common and typically benign vascular lesions, with a prevalence of 10-12% in the general population and 2-3% in all spine tumors. A small subset of vertebral hemangiomas can be categorized as "aggressive" if they exhibit extraosseous expansion that compress the spinal cord, causing pain and various neurologic symptoms. This report details a case of aggressive thoracic hemangioma resulting in worsening pain and paraplegia to draw attention to this rare condition, including identification and treatment.

CASE PRESENTATION

In this case, we present a 39 year-old female with a history of progressively worsening pain and paraplegia caused by compression of the spinal cord from an aggressive thoracic vertebral hemangioma. Clinical presentation, imaging, and biopsies, confirmed the diagnosis. A combined surgical and endovascular treatment strategy was implemented, and the patient's symptoms improved.

DISCUSSION

Aggressive vertebral hemangioma is a rare condition that may cause symptoms that diminishes the quality of life, including pain and various neurological symptoms. Given the low number of such cases, and significant impact on lifestyle, it is beneficial to identify cases of aggressive thoracic hemangiomas to ensure timely and accurate diagnosis and help development of treatment guidelines. This case highlights the importance of identifying and diagnosing this rare but serious disease.

Thoracic spine hemangioma causing rapidly progressive myelopathy and mimicking a malignant tumor: A case report

Vertebral hemangiomas are common benign tumors that are mostly asymptomatic and are discovered incidentally. Only 0.9–1.2% of all vertebral hemangiomas, termed aggressive vertebral hemangiomas, expand to cause pain and neural compression. We present an extremely rare case of a 49-year-old woman who had an aggressive vertebral hemangioma of the thoracic spine that caused rapidly progressive myelopathy with remarkable irregular extraosseous bone proliferation, which mimicked a malignant vertebral tumor. In this case, despite the lesion's hostile appearance during imaging, the pathological diagnosis was benign and symptom-based surgical treatment with posterior decompression and stabilization provided good clinical outcomes during the postoperative 18 months follow-up period. In this case, despite the use of standard imaging modalities (radiograph, CT, and MRI), making a preoperative imaging diagnosis of an aggressive vertebral hemangioma was difficult, and although aggressive vertebral hemangiomas with atypical radiological features are rare, they should be considered as a differential diagnosis.

Tubular laminectomy and percutaneous vertebroplasty for aggressive vertebral hemangioma

Background:

Vertebral hemangiomas (VH) are the most common benign vascular neoplasms of the spine. Aggressive VH (AVH) may become symptomatic due to soft-tissue expansion/extraosseous extension into the paraspinal and/or epidural spaces. There are several options for treating painful AVH, including radiotherapy and/or open surgery.

Case Description:

A 59-year-old male presented with a 2-year history of intermittent back pain and progressive thoracic myelopathy in the past 2 months. MRI revealed a T9 level lesion, with high-intensity signal on both T1 and T2 images and an extraosseous component with significant cord compression. We performed minimally invasive tubular unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression of the thoracic spine at the T9 level, followed by bilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty with biopsy. Postoperatively, the pain was immediately relieved, and the myelopathy improved. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a VH.

Conclusion:

Combining minimally invasive techniques consisting of tubular laminectomy and percutaneous vertebroplasty are safe and effective ways for treating AVHs.

Prevalence of benign osseous lesions of the spine and association with spinal pain in the general population in whole body MRI

Background

Benign osseous lesions of the spine are common but precise population prevalence estimates are lacking. Our study aimed to provide the first population-based prevalence estimates and examine association with back and neck pain.

Materials and methods

We used data from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). Whole-body MRI examinations (1.5 Tesla: T1, T2, and TIRM weightings) were available from 3,259 participants. Readings of the spinal MRI images were conducted according to a standardized protocol by a single reader (JS). The intra-rater reliability was greater than Kappa values of 0.98. Pain measures included the seven-day prevalence of spine pain and neck pain, and average spine pain intensity due to spine pain during the past three months.

Results

We found 1,200 (36.8%) participants with at least one osseous lesion (2,080 lesions in total). Osseous lesions were less common in men than in women (35.5% vs 38.9%; P = .06). The prevalence of osseous lesions was highest at L2 in both sexes. The prevalence of osseous lesions increased with age. Up to eight osseous lesions were observed in a single subject. Hemangioma (28%), and lipoma (13%) occurred most often. Sclerosis (1.7%), aneurysmal bone cysts (0.7%), and blastoma (0.3%) were rare. Different osseous lesions occurred more often in combination with each other. The association with back or neck pain was mostly negligible.

Conclusion

Osseous lesions are common in the general population but of no clinical relevance for spinal pain. The prevalence of osseous lesions varied strongly across different regions of the spine and was also associated with age and gender. Our population-based data offer new insights and assist in judging the relevance of osseous lesions observed on MRIs of patients.

Recurrent solitary fibrous tumor of lumbar spine with vertebral body involvement: imaging features and differential diagnosis with report of a case

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) of the spine are exceedingly rare tumors of mesenchymal origin. Most spinal SFTs arise from the thoracic spine, followed by cervical spine, and last lumbar spine with only 6 cases reported in literature. SFTs represent a wide range of neoplasms, ranging from benign to malignant. These tumors can develop a late recurrence, even after a decade or more of initial presentation, requiring long-term follow-up. We present a case of recurrent SFT of the lumbar spine with vertebral body involvement, presenting more than a decade after initial resection. It was initially misdiagnosed as a paraganglioma. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only 3 previous cases reporting SFT with vertebral body involvement.

Rare case of multiple aggressive vertebral hemangiomas

A case of a 42-year-old man with back pain associated with left radiculopathy and infiltrative mass involving the T12 and L5 vertebrae is described. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography indicated aggressive hemangiomas involving the T12 and L5 vertebrae. Three-year follow-up by imaging indicated minimally increased aggressiveness of the L5 lesion without any significant change in appearance of the T12 lesion thus, confirming the initial diagnosis of multiple aggressive vertebral hemangiomas.

A rare case of pure primary hemangioma of the scapula: A case report

Hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor, which may occur in any bone of the body. The most common locations are the spine and craniofacial bone; however, occurrence is extremely rare in the scapula. The current study presented the case of a 58-year-old female, with scapula hemangioma in the left shoulder who presented with joint ache that had lasted for ~1 year. The main clinical manifestations included local tenderness, an osseous lump and limited shoulder movement with a little pain, which was alleviated by rest. Roentgenogram, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the left acromion revealed a mass along the inner surface of the scapula of the left shoulder with polycystic expansion and bone destruction. The results of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging indicated a pure primary tumor and the lesion was subsequently resected. Notably, the postoperative pathological diagnosis was capillary hemangioma. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical and imaging features of scapula hemangioma, which must be considered for the differential diagnosis of scapula tumors. In the present case, no recurrence was identified by X-ray examination 1 year after surgery. The long-term efficacy of surgical treatment requires continuous observation of the patient.

Aggressive vertebral hemangioma in the postpartum period: an eye-opener

Pregnancy is a well-known risk factor for incidental or asymptomatic vertebral hemangiomas becoming aggressive or symptomatic, most often during the third trimester of pregnancy, related to hemodynamic and endocrinal changes occurring during pregnancy. Many patients show spontaneous incomplete remission after delivery. We report a rare case of aggressive vertebral hemangioma in the postpartum period in a 26-year-old woman, who presented with upper backache with progressive spastic paraparesis.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of vertebral column - an additional tool for evaluation of aggressiveness of vertebral haemangioma like lesion

Background

Most vertebral haemangioma are asymptomatic and discovered incidentally. Sometimes the symptomatic lesions present with radiological signs of aggressiveness and their appearance resemble other aggressive lesions (e.g. solitary plasmacytoma).

Case report.

We present a patient with large symptomatic aggressive haemangioma like lesion in 12^th thoracic vertebra in which a magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to analyse fat content within the lesion. The lesion in affected vertebrae showed low fat content with 33% of fat fraction (%FF). The fat content in non-affected (1^st lumbar) vertebra was as expected for patient’s age (68%). Based on MRS data, the lesion was characterized as an aggressive haemangioma. The diagnosis was confirmed with biopsy, performed during the treatment – percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Conclusions

The presented case shows that MRS can be used as an additional tool for evaluation of aggressiveness of vertebral haemangioma like lesions.