scholarly journals Spinal Epidural Cavernous Hemangiomas: A Clinical Series of 9 Cases and Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyan Zhao ◽  
Yining Jiang ◽  
Yubo Wang ◽  
Yang Bai ◽  
Ying Sun ◽  
...  

ObjectiveSpinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas are very rare vascular lesions and are, therefore, seldom reported and easily misdiagnosed. Herein, we present a series of 9 cases with spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas and discuss their pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, radiological findings, differential diagnosis, surgical interventions, pathological characteristics, and prognosis.MethodsWe retrospectively retrieved and analyzed the data of patients with pure epidural cavernous hemangiomas, who underwent spinal magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical intervention at the First Hospital of Jilin University, China, between January 2005 and December 2019. The data on patients’ clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, surgical intervention, histopathological findings, and postoperative follow-up were also recorded and analyzed.ResultsIn all, 5 men and 4 women with the mean age of 61 years (range, 41–78 years) were recruited. All patients experienced a gradual onset of symptoms and a slowly progressive clinical course, and no patient presented an acute onset of symptoms. The clinical manifestations include myelopathic signs in 8 patients (88.9%) and radicular symptoms in 3 patients (33.3%). On T1-weighted imaging, 6 lesions appeared isointense (55.6%), and 4 lesions exhibited hypointense (44.4%) signals. On T2-weighted imaging, 8 lesions appeared hyperintense (88.9%), and 1 lesion was heterogeneously intense (11.1%). Following gadolinium administration, 5 lesions appeared homogeneous with significant enhancement (55.6%), 1 lesion was homogeneous and mild enhancement (11.1%), and 3 lesions were heterogeneous with mild enhancement (33.3%). All patients received early microsurgery assisted by intraoperative electrophysiologic monitoring and neuronavigation in the lateral position via the posterior midline approach. Five patients underwent total laminectomy (55.6%), and 4 underwent hemilaminectomy (44.4%). Total excision was achieved in all cases. The average follow-up period was 55.1 months (ranging 10–123 months). All patients exhibited significant clinical improvement of their neurological deficits and achieved a favorable outcome with no recorded recurrence at last follow-up.ConclusionsSpinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas are rare vascular malformations. Early surgical treatment with total resection is an optimum treatment, particularly for patients with an acute exacerbation onset. The prognosis is mostly good and depends predominantly on the severity of the preoperative status.

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teng-yu Li ◽  
Yu-lun Xu ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
James Wang ◽  
Gui-Huai Wang

OBJECT The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, imaging features, differential diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis for primary spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas. METHODS Fourteen patients with pathologically diagnosed non–vertebral origin cavernous hemangiomas who had undergone surgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital between 2003 and 2012 were identified in the hospital's database. The patients' clinical data, imaging characteristics, surgical treatment, and postoperative follow-up were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS There were 9 males and 5 females with an average age of 51.64 years. The primary epidural cavernous hemangiomas were located in the cervical spine (2 cases), cervicothoracic junction (2 cases), thoracic spine (8 cases), thoracolumbar junction (1 case), and lumbar spine (1 case). Hemorrhage was confirmed in 4 cases during surgery. Preoperatively 5 lesions were misdiagnosed as schwannoma, 1 was misdiagnosed as a meningioma, and 1 was misdiagnosed as an arachnoid cyst. Preoperative hemorrhages were identified in 2 cases. Three patients had recurrent cavernous hemangiomas. The initial presenting symptoms were local pain in 5 cases, radiculopathy in 6 cases, and myelopathy in 3 cases. Upon admission, 1 patient had radicular symptoms and 13 had myelopathic symptoms. The average symptom duration was 18 months. All patients underwent surgery; complete resection was achieved in 8 cases, subtotal resection in 4 cases, and partial resection in 2 cases. Postoperative follow-up was completed in 10 cases (average follow-up 34 months); 1 patient died, 5 patients showed clinical improvement, and 4 patients remained neurologically unchanged. CONCLUSIONS Total surgical removal of spine epidural cavernous hemangiomas with a chronic course is the optimum treatment and carries a good prognosis. Secondary surgery for recurrent epidural cavernous hemangioma is technically more challenging. In patients with profound myelopathy from acute hemorrhage, even prompt surgical decompression can rarely reverse all symptoms.


Author(s):  
André Freitas Nunes ◽  
Rafael Gomes dos Santos ◽  
Rodrigo Salmeron de Toledo Aguiar ◽  
José Carlos Esteves Veiga ◽  
Heitor Castelo Branco Rodrigues Alves ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction: Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) are vascular lesions defined by arteriovenous shunting flowing through a nidus of coiled and tortuous vascular connections. Cerebral Proliferative Angiopathy (CPA) is a rare type of AVM with pathological, clinical, diagnostic features and treatment differences from a typical AVM. We aimed to summarize important features of CPA already described and identify important gaps of evidence. Methods: Data was selected by a search of PUBMED with the term “cerebral proliferative angiopathy”. The articles considered relevant were included in this review. We also screened article references and included them as needed. Discussion: CPA shows a diffuse nidus appearance, presence of transdural supply and stenosis of feeding arteries, without dominant feeders or flow-related aneurysms. There is intermingled brain between the vascular spaces. The usual clinical presentation is seizures, headaches, and progressive neurological deficits. Sound diagnosis can be made based on CT, MRI, Angiography and perfusion techniques, which are essential to treatment choices. Invasive treatment is seldom indicated, in order to preserve the normal brain parenchyma, and clinical control of symptoms, associated with a thorough follow-up, is the usual approach in most reported cases. Conclusion: Still much remains to be learned about CPA. Establishing more precise roles of various radiological assessing methods, how they affect the follow-up of patients, and safety and efficacy profiles of different treatment approaches will provide us the tools to give patients a more solid intervention and clearer follow-up.Keywords: Vascular malformations, Intracranial arteriovenous malformations, Brain diseases, Cerebrovascular disordersResumoIntrodução: As malformações arteriovenosas cerebrais (MAVs) são lesões vasculares definidas por comunicação arteriovenosa por meio de conexões vasculares tortuosas. A angiopatia cerebral proliferativa (ACP) é um tipo raro de MAV com características patológicas, clínicas, diagnósticas e de tratamento distintas das MAVs típicas. Objetivou-se resumir características importantes da ACP já descritas na literatura, e identificar lacunas importantes nas evidências. Métodos: Os dados foram selecionados através de busca na base de dados PUBMED, com o termo “cerebral proliferative angiopathy”. Os artigos considerados relevantes foram incluídos nessa revisão, assim como alguns outros artigos presentes nas referências. Discussão: A ACP apresenta-se como um nidus difuso, associada à presença de irrigação transdural, de estenose das artérias que a alimentam, sem suprimento arterial dominante ou aneurismas relacionados ao fluxo. Há parênquima cerebral normal entre os espaços vasculares. Comumente se apresenta com crises epilépticas, cefaleia e déficits neurológicos progressivos. O diagnóstico de certeza pode ser realizado através de TC, RM, angiografia e técnicas de perfusão, e é essencial para a escolha do tratamento. Abordagens invasivas são raramente indicadas a fim de preservar o parênquima cerebral normal. O controle clínico dos sintomas, associado a seguimento rigoroso, é a escolha terapêutica geralmente utilizada na maioria dos relatos. Conclusão: Ainda há muito que se aprender sobre a ACP. Estabelecer os benefícios de cada um dos diversos métodos imaginológicos, como eles influenciam o seguimento dos pacientes, e perfis de segurança e eficácia das diferentes terapêuticas fornecerá ferramentas para melhor decisão terapêutica.Descritores: Malformações vasculares, Malformações arteriovenosas intracranianas, encefalopatias, Transtornos cerebrovasculares 


Folia Medica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Mikhaylovskiy ◽  
Vyacheslav Stupak ◽  
Vadim Belozerov ◽  
Nikolay Fomichev ◽  
Anatoliy Lutsik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The rate of scoliosis in syringomyelia patients ranges from 25 to 74.4%. In turn, syringomyelia occurs in 1.2% to 9.7% of scoliosis patients. Aim: To evaluate outcomes of surgical correction of the scoliotic deformity in syringomyelia patients. Materials and methods: Between 1996 and 2015, 3120 patients with scoliosis of various etiologies were treated at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Vertebrology of the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. We conducted a retrospective analysis of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis cases that required surgical correction. Results: Syringomyelia was found in 33 patients (1.05%) out of 3120 patients with spinal deformities of various etiologies; in 21 patients (0.9%) with idiopathic scoliosis of 2334 patients. In identifying the neurological deficit, the recommended first step is to perform neurosurgery. Nineteen patients were operated using the CDI, 4 patients underwent correction VEPTR, in 1 case instrumentation could not be established, 9 patients are undergoing treatment in the department of neurosurgery at the moment. Worsening of neurological deficits was not observed in any patient. Conclusion: A comparison of the results of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis correction with the data of other authors was done. The choice of surgery tactics is strictly individual and depends on the size of the cavity. The result of surgical intervention is generally positive and the loss of correction by the end of follow-up is negligible.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaonan Liu ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Lei Du ◽  
Si Chen ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Platelet-leukocyte aggregate (PLA) is implicated in the etiology of both vascular lesions and cardiovascular events. This prospective cohort study aimed to examine the prognostic value of PLA for major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and perioperative adverse events (AEs) in patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing surgical intervention by Cox proportional hazard regression and logistic regression. A total of 244 patients were included, of whom 7 were lost to follow-up. Among the analyzed 237 subjects who completed 3-year follow-up, 30 experienced MACCE and 38 experienced perioperative AEs. Preoperative PLA was higher in subjects who developed MACCE (13.32%) than in those who did not (8.69%, p = 0.040). In multivariate regression, elevated PLA was associated with increased MACCE (hazard ratio 1.51 for each quartile, 95% CI 1.07–2.13; p = 0.020), and perioperative AEs (odds ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.14–2.26; p = 0.007). The optimal PLA cut-off for predicting MACCE was 6.8%. Subjects with PLA > 6.8% had a higher prevalence of MACCE (17.1% vs. 5.5%, p = 0.009) and perioperative AEs (19.9% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.018). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed shorter MACCE-free survival in patients with PLA > 6.8% (p = 0.007, log rank). Elevated preoperative PLA is associated with increased MACCE and perioperative AEs in patients with rheumatic valve disease undergoing surgical intervention.


2015 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 699-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ferroli ◽  
Marco Schiariti ◽  
Roberto Cordella ◽  
Carlo Boffano ◽  
Simone Nava ◽  
...  

OBJECT Surgery of brainstem lesions is increasingly performed despite the fact that surgical indications and techniques continue to be debated. The deep pons, in particular, continues to be a critical area in which the specific risks related to different surgical strategies continue to be examined. With the intention of bringing new knowledge into this important arena, the authors systematically examined the results of brainstem surgeries that have been performed through the lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window. METHODS Between 1990 and 2013, 29 consecutive patients underwent surgery through this window for either biopsy sampling or for removal of a deep pontine lesion. All of this work was performed at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Istituto Nazionale Neurologico "Carlo Besta", in Milan, Italy. A retrospective analysis of the findings was conducted with the intention of bringing further clarity to this important surgical strategy. RESULTS The lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window was exposed through 4 different approaches: 1) classic retrosigmoid (15 cases), 2) minimally invasive keyhole retrosigmoid (10 cases), 3) translabyrinthine (1 case), and 4) combined petrosal (3 cases). No deaths occurred during the entire clinical study. The surgical complications that were observed included hydrocephalus (2 cases) and CSF leakage (1 case). In 6 (20.7%) of 29 patients the authors encountered new neurological deficits during the immediate postoperative period. All 6 of these patients had undergone lesion removal. In only 2 of these 6 patients were permanent sequelae observed at 3 months follow-up. These findings show that 93% of the patients studied did not report any permanent worsening of their neurological condition after this surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective study supports the idea that the lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window is both a low-risk and safe corridor for either biopsy sampling or for removal of deep pontine lesions.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2019-315094
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yu Huang ◽  
Cheng-Lin Wu ◽  
Sheng-Hsiang Lin ◽  
Wei-Chen Lin ◽  
Fu-Chin Huang ◽  
...  

AimsTo report the clinical manifestations, ultrastructure and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic lamellar keratectomy (TLK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for microsporidial stromal keratitis (MSK).MethodsFourteen MSK cases between 2009 and 2018 were recruited. Each patient’s clinical presentation, light microscopy, histopathology, PCR and electron microscopy (EM) of corneal samples were reviewed.ResultsThe patients were 70.0±4.7 years old (average follow-up, 4.5 years). Time from symptoms to presentation was 10.6±13.0 weeks. The corneal manifestations were highly variable. Corneal scrapings revealed Gram stain positivity in 12 cases (85.7%) and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain positivity in 9 (64.3%). Histopathology revealed spores in all specimens, while sequencing of small subunit rRNA-based PCR products identified Vittaforma corneae in 82% of patients. EM demonstrated various forms of microsporidial sporoplasm in corneal keratocytes. All patients were treated with topical antimicrobial agents or combined with oral antiparasitic medications for >3 weeks. As all patients were refractory to medical therapy, they ultimately underwent surgical intervention (TLK in 7, PK in 6 and 1 received TLK first, followed by PK). Postoperatively, the infection was resolved in 78.6% of the patients. Nevertheless, a high recurrence rate (21.4%) was noted during 3-year follow-up, with only two patients retained a final visual acuity ≥20/100.ConclusionMSK usually presents with a non-specific corneal infiltration refractory to antimicrobial therapy. The diagnosis relies on light microscopic examinations on corneal scrapings and histopathological analyses. Surgical intervention is warranted by limiting the infection; however, it was associated with an overall poor outcome.


Author(s):  
Peter A. Pahapill ◽  
Stephen P. Lownie

ABSTRACT:Background:In cases of acute spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma producing neurological deficits, emergency surgical evacuation is the standard treatment.Methods:Such a case is presented in which complete resolution of neurological deficits occurred without surgical intervention.Results:This is the fifth reported case of complete recovery in a patient managed conservatively. In most reports, significant and sustained neurological recovery had occurred within 12 hours of impairment of walking.Conclusion:In cases of acute spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma in which neurological deterioration is followed by early and sustained recovery, non-operative therapy may be considered.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 892-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
Robert J. Coffey ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
John C. Flickinger

Abstract Stereotactic radiosurgery has been shown to treat successfully angiographically demonstrated arteriovenous malformations of the brain. Angiographic obliteration has represented cure and eliminated the risk of future hemorrhage. The role of radiosurgery in the treatment of angiographically occult vascular malformations (AOVMs) has been less well defined. In the initial 32 months of operation of the 201-source cobalt-60 gamma knife at the University of Pittsburgh, 24 patients meeting strict criteria for high-risk AOVMs were treated. Radiosurgery was used conservatively; each patient had sustained two or more hemorrhages and had a magnetic resonance imaging-defined AOVM located in a region of the brain where microsurgical removal was judged to pose an excessive risk. Venous angiomas were excluded by performance of high-resolution subtraction angiography in each patient. Fifteen malformations were in the medulla, pons, and/or mesencephalon, and 5 were located in the thalamus or basal ganglia. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 24 months. Nineteen patients either improved or remained clinically stable and did not hemorrhage again during the follow-up interval. One patient suffered another hemorrhage 7 months after radiosurgery. Five patients experienced temporary worsening of pre-existing neurological deficits that suggested delayed radiation injury. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated signal changes and edema surrounding the radiosurgical target. Dose-volume guidelines for avoiding complications were constructed. Our initial experience indicates that stereotactic radiosurgery can be performed safely in patients with small, well-circumscribed AOVMs located in deep, critical, or relatively inaccessible cerebral locations. Because cerebral angiography is not useful in following patients with AOVMs, long-term magnetic resonance imaging and clinical studies will be necessary to determine whether the natural history of such lesions is changed by radiosurgery.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-277
Author(s):  
Kangmin He ◽  
Shize Jiang ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Ying Mao ◽  
Wei Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Chondromyxoid fibromas (CMFs) are benign tumors that occur rarely in the skull base. OBJECTIVE To conduct a preliminary exploration of the diagnosis and treatment of cranial CMFs. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 19 cases of CMFs in the base of the skull between 2009 and 2014 in our hospital was conducted. The clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, pathology, treatment strategies, and outcomes were examined. RESULTS The study cohort included 7 women (36.8%) and 12 men (63.2%), and symptom duration ranged from 1 mo to 5 yr. Of the 19 intracranial CMF cases examined, 15 (78.9%) conformed with the diagnostic criteria for extracranial CMF. Resection operations yielded subtotal removal of 13 tumors (68.4%) and partial removal of 6 tumors (31.6%). Postoperative pathological analysis demonstrated that the tumors were characterized by spindle-shaped or stellate cells arranged in a myxoid matrix without mitoses or permeation. Follow-up (range 2-7.3 yr; mean, 4.4 ± 1.7 yr) revealed that symptoms improved postoperatively in 15 cases (78.9%), were maintained in 2 cases (10.5%), and worsened in 2 cases (10.5%). Imaging follow-up revealed that residual tumors were stable in 18 cases (94.7%) and enlarged in 1 case (5.3%). CONCLUSION An accurate diagnosis should involve comprehensive consideration of clinical, radiological, and pathological features. The treatment strategy for CMFs consists of maximizing tumor removal while protecting adjacent key structures. Postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy is appropriate for residual tumors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Alireza Vakilian ◽  
Amir Moghadam Ahmadi ◽  
Habib Farahmand

Background: Cavernous hemangiomas are common benign vascular malformations. Their existence in the intraventricular region is very rare. Case Reports: A 43-year old woman with an occipital headache was admitted to the emergency ward. Brain computed tomography scan showed mild hydrocephalus and multiple intraventricular isodense lesions. Imaging findings, especially of Gradient Resonance Echo imaging, were in favor of multiple intraventricular cavernous malformations. Conclusion: This is a rare presentation of multiple cavernous malformation as occipital headache without needing surgical intervention in this phase. Coexistence of periventricular plaques like Radiologically isolated syndrome of Multiple sclerosis is another unique aspect in this report. [GMJ.2017;6(1):61-65]


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document