Multilevel thoracic hemangioma with spinal cord compression in a pediatric patient: Case report and review of the literature

Jacob Cherian, Christina M. Sayama, Adekunle M. Adesina, Sandi K. Lam, Thomas G. Luerssen, Andrew Jea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Vertebral hemangiomas are common benign vascular tumors of the spine. It is very rare for these lesions to symptomatically compress neural elements. If spinal cord compression does occur, it usually involves only a single level. Multilevel vertebral hemangiomas causing symptomatic spinal cord compression have never been reported in the pediatric population to the best of our knowledge. Methods: We report the case of a 15-year-old boy presenting with progressive paraparesis due to thoracic spinal cord compression from a multilevel thoracic hemangioma (T5-T10) with epidural extension. Results: Because of his progressive neurological deficit, he was initially treated with urgent multilevel decompressive laminectomies from T4 to T11. This was to be followed by radiotherapy for residual tumor, but the patient was unfortunately lost to follow-up. He re-presented 3 years later with recurrent paraparesis and progressive disease. This was treated with urgent radiotherapy with good response. As of 6 months follow-up, he has made an excellent neurological recovery. Conclusions: In this report, we present the first case of a child with multilevel vertebral hemangiomas causing symptomatic spinal cord compression and review the literature to detail the pathophysiology, management, and treatment of other cases of spinal cord compression by vertebral hemangiomas.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1571-1576
Number of pages6
JournalChild's Nervous System
Volume30
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Spinal cord compression
  • Thoracic spine
  • Vertebral hemangioma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Clinical Neurology

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