TITLE:
Aggressive Dorsal Vertebral Hemangioma Causing Compressive Mielopathy
AUTHORS:
Ana Carla Farias Pimentel, Mariana Santos Leite Pessoa, Francisca Estefânia Mesquita Maciel de Lima, Manuel Joaquim Diógenes Teixeira, Cláudio Régis Sampaio Silveira
KEYWORDS:
Aggressive Vertebral Hemangioma, Compressive Myelopathy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Imaging,
Vol.11 No.3,
September
30,
2021
ABSTRACT: Vertebral hemangiomas are common benign lesions of the spine, characterized by abnormal vascular proliferation, being commonly asymptomatic incidental findings, presenting symptoms in only a small portion of affected individuals. In a smaller number of cases, however, hemangiomas can present an expansive effect and extra-osseous extension, determining a mass effect and neurological symptoms, being therefore called aggressive hemangiomas. On MRI, aggressive hemangiomas are characterized by having a larger vascular component and a smaller fat component, thus producing a low signal on T1-weighted images. We illustrate the case of a young male patient who presented with pain in the upper thoracic spine, who developed paraparesis and ascending sensory deficit and progressive lower limbs, progressing to paraplegia and loss of sphincter control.