Aggressive vertebral hemangioma as a rare cause of myelopathy

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sari, Hidayet^a | Uludag, Murat^{a; *} | Akarirmak, Ulku^a | Ornek, Nurettin Irem^a | Gun, Kerem^a | Gulsen, Fatih^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical Faculty, Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey | [b] Department of Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Murat Uludag, Tahtakale Mah. T45 Sok. Bizimevler Sitesi A1 D27 Avcılar-Istanbul, Turkey. Tel.: +90 505 9247871; Fax: +90 212 6320033; E-mail: muludag1@yahoo.com

Abstract: Vertebral hemangiomas (VHs) are common lesions in the adult population. They are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on radiological imaging. New-onset back pain followed by subacute progression of thoracal myelopathy is the most common presentation in patients with neurological deficit. Differential diagnoses would include metastasis, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, Paget disease, osseous tumors such as Ewing sarcoma or hemangioblastoma and blood dyscrasia. We present a 41 year-old-male patient with thoracal VH causing myelopathy that completely improved after rehabilitation program with embolization and vertebroplasty procedures.

Keywords: Aggressive hemangioma, embolization, myelopathy, thoracal vertebra, vertebroplasty

DOI: 10.3233/BMR-130425

Journal: Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 125-129, 2014