Undiagnosed vertebral hemangioma causing a lumbar compression fracture and epidural hematoma in a parturient undergoing vaginal delivery under epidural analgesia: a case report

Sudden perceived absence of foetal movement - a unique presentation of a vertebral haemangioma in pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

Symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas that present during pregnancy are extremely uncommon with few cases reported in literature. Epidural haemangiomas are rarer still with few documented.

METHODS

In this report, we describe the case of a 22-year-old pregnant patient who presented with apparent loss of foetal movement at 38 weeks' gestation. Clinical review demonstrated the foetus was well but neurological examination revealed lower limb paresthesia, paresis and evident uterine hypoesthesia. An MRI scan illustrated a haemangioma in the T1 vertebral body with an epidural component causing cord compression.

RESULTS

The management of spinal haemangiomas that present during pregnancy is a complex clinical scenario, which requires careful multidisciplinary consideration to determine if surgical intervention is appropriate. In this case, the patient had an emergency caesarean section followed by posterior decompression and laminectomy of the T1 vertebra with excellent post-operative recovery.

CONCLUSION

Gestational increase in the size of vertebral haemangiomas is well documented. We discuss a rare case in which a young pregnant patient presents with an atypical symptom of a vertebral haemangioma (uterine hypoesthesia). This case highlights the importance of prompt imaging in these scenarios and a cohesive multidisciplinary approach in order to provide optimal treatment for the patient.

Aggressive Thoracic Hemangioma Leading to Secondary Kyphosis with Paraparesis in the Postpartum Period. A Case Report

Background

Aggressive vertebral hemangioma is rare, and its management can be very challenging.

Methods

In this report, we present the case of a 30-year-old female with a normal twin pregnancy. She had been complaining of midthoracic pain after the seventh month of pregnancy with no other symptoms. Normal delivery was done under spinal anesthesia, but the patient's back pain worsened after the delivery, and she left the hospital on Day 4 with the onset of an unsteady gait. She was seen in the spinal clinic on Day 14, referred by her gynecologist, with a paraparetic presentation that was rapidly worsening. Urgent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was done and revealed aggressive hemangioma of T6 with kyphosis and significant cord compression.

Results

The patient was admitted and was operated the following morning. Posterior decompression with fixation from T4 to T8 and kyphosis correction was done. Samples from the vertebrae were sent to the lab for pathology analysis, and the results confirmed the diagnosis of vertebral hemangioma. She could walk on Day 1 with progressive neurological recovery, but distal junctional kyphosis in the form of a "chance fracture" of T8 occurred at 2 months and was treated conservatively. She showed a satisfactory clinical and radiological result at 2 years with no recurrence.

Conclusions

Literature is sparse on the management of vertebral hemangioma in the context of pregnancy and postpartum, with only case reports, and its presentation as a kyphotic fracture is extremely rare. The current case shows how, in the context of delivery, a benign procedure such as spinal anesthesia should be done with extreme caution, as it may play a role in aggravating an undiagnosed aggressive hemangioma; rapid management after the onset of paraparetic symptoms enables a full neurological recovery, but close monitoring later on with regular MRI is mandatory for detection of any recurrence.

Symptomatic vertebral hemangioma during pregnancy period: A case series and systematic literature review

Vertebral Hemangioma (VH) is a benign tumor usually symptomless and discovered incidentally. Pregnancy, because of several hormonal and physiologic changes, is a recognized risk factor coinciding with the development of a rapid onset of neurological symptoms in patients affected by VH. In the Literature, sporadic cases of neurological symptoms have been described, which occurred during pregnancy, but only rarely the onset of symptoms was reported after pregnancy and childbirth. Usually surgical treatment is reserved for severe cases with rapid onset of neurological symptoms. However, the use of conservative treatments is still a topic of debate In the present study, we report a series of patients affected by VH become symptomatic during or after pregnancy along with a systematic review of the Literature.

Compressive myelopathy and compression fracture of aggressive vertebral hemangioma after parturition: A case report and review of literature

RATIONALE

Compressive myelopathy and compression fracture of aggressive vertebral hemangioma after parturition is a rare condition. Vertebral body compression fracture and high serum progesterone lead to extraosseous hemangioma enlargment cause narrowing the spinal canal which contribute to compressive myelopathy relate to pregnancy.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report a case of compressive myelopathy and compression fracture of aggressive vertebral hemangioma after parturition in a 35-year-old woman. The patient complained unable to walk and experienced intense pain in the back.

DIAGNOSIS

Based on the clinical features and imaging studies, the patient underwent a T4-T6 laminectomy. Histopathology consistent with vertebral hemangioma.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient underwent laminectomy for decompression. After subperiosteal dissection of the paraspinal muscles and exposure of the laminae, there was no involvement of the lamina by the tumor. The epidural tumor was removed through the spaces lateral to the thecal sac. Vertebroplasty was performed through T5 pedicles bilaterally and 7 ml of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement was injected. T4-T6 pedicle screw fixation was performed for segmental fixation and fusion.

OUTCOMES

Six months after resection of the tumor the patient remained asymptomatic. She reported no low back pain and had returned to her normal daily activities, with no radiographic evidence of recurrence on MRI. Physical examination revealed that superficial and deep sensation was restored to normal levels in the lower extremities.

LESSONS

The occurrence of compressive myelopathy of pregnancy related vertebral hemangiomas is quite unusual. It can lead to serious neurologic deficits if not treated immediately. So, prompt diagnosis is important in planning optimal therapy and preventing morbidity for patients.

Progression of aggressive vertebral hemangiomas during pregnancy: Three case reports and literature review

RATIONALE

Vertebral hemangiomas (VHs), one of the most common benign tumors of the spine, can be aggressive, which is a rare condition and causes neurological deficits. Pregnancy is related to the worsening of aggressive VHs. The diagnosis and treatment of aggressive VHs remain challenging, especially for pregnant cases.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report 3 cases of aggressive VH in women who developed progressive neurological deficits during pregnancy among 95 patients treated for aggressive VH in our hospital in the past 15 years.

DIAGNOSES AND INTERVENTIONS

All 3 patients experienced progressive deterioration of neurological function and pain at 13, 28, and 41 weeks' gestation. On radiological examination, VHs were the suspected radiological diagnoses in 2 patients; 1 patient was preoperatively misdiagnosed with a spinal metastatic tumor. All 3 patients underwent decompression surgery with intraoperative vertebroplasty and/or postoperative radiotherapy. The pathological diagnosis after surgery was all hemangiomas.

OUTCOMES

In all 3 patients, there were no tumor recurrences, and neurological functions remained normal at the last follow-up of 75, 38, and 15 months after the treatment, respectively.

LESSONS

Pregnancy might lead to the onset of aggressive VHs. The diagnosis and treatment of VHs during pregnancy remain controversial due to concern for both maternal and fetal safety. Timely surgery could preserve neurological function. Decompression surgery by laminectomy followed by adjuvant therapies require less skill and have a shorter surgery time, and can be considered more appropriate for aggressive VHs with pregnancy.

Neuraxial blocks and spinal haematoma: Review of 166 case reports published 1994–2015. Part 1: Demographics and risk-factors

Background

Bleeding into the vertebral canal causing a spinal haematoma (SH) is a rare but serious complication to central neuraxial blocks (CNB). Of all serious complications to CNBs such as meningitis, abscess, cardiovascular collapse, and nerve injury, neurological injury associated with SH has the worst prognosis for permanent harm. Around the turn of the millennium, the first guidelines were published that aimed to reduce the risk of this complication. These guidelines are based on known risk factors for SH, rather than evidence from randomised, controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs, and therefore meta-analysis of RCTs, are not appropriate for identifying rare events. Analysing published case reports of rare complications may at least reveal risk factors and can thereby improve management of CNBs. The aims of the present review were to analyse case reports of SH after CNBs published between 1994 and 2015, and compare these with previous reviews of case reports.

Methods

MEDLINE and EMBASE were used for identifying case reports published in English, German, or Scandinavian languages, using appropriate search terms. Reference lists were also scrutinised for case reports. Twenty different variables from each case were specifically searched for and filled out on an Excel spreadsheet, and incidences were calculated using the number of informative reports as denominator for each variable.

Results

Altogether 166 case reports on spinal haematoma after CNB published during the years between 1994 and 2015 were collected. The annual number of case reports published during this period almost trebled compared with the two preceding decades. This trend continued even after the first guidelines on safe practice of CNBs appeared around year 2000, although more cases complied with such guidelines during the second half of the observation period (2005–2015) than during the first half. Three types of risk factors dominated:(1)Patient-related risk factors such as haemostatic and spinal disorders, (2) CNB-procedure-related risks such as complicated block, (3) Drug-related risks, i.e. medication with antihaemostatic drugs.

Conclusions and implications

The annual number of published cases of spinal haematoma after central neuraxial blocks increased during the last two decades (1994–2015) compared to previous decades. Case reports on elderly women account for this increase.Antihaemostatic drugs, heparins in particular, are still major risk factors for developing post-CNB spinal bleedings. Other risk factors are haemostatic and spinal disorders and complicated blocks, especially “bloody taps”, whereas multiple attempts do not seem to increase the risk of bleeding. In a large number of cases, no risk factor was reported. Guidelines issued around the turn of the century do not seem to have affected the number of published reports. In most cases, guidelines were followed, especially during the second half of the study period. Thus, although guidelines reduce the risk of a post-CNB spinal haematoma, and should be strictly adhered to in every single case, they are no guarantee against such bleedings to occur.