Combined surgical and endovascular approach for treatment of aggressive vertebral haemangiomas

Atypical Aggressive Hemangioma of Thoracic Vertebrae Associated With Thoracic Myelopathy-A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Aggressive thoracic hemangiomas are rare, benign tumors that extend into the spinal canal and cause neurological symptoms. Delayed diagnosis and treatment, due to a paucity of literature on optimal treatment strategies, can increase morbidity. This case report describes a 19-year-old male patient with aggressive thoracic hemangioma who presented with upper back pain and progressive weakness of the lower extremities. The patient underwent preoperative embolization and sclerotherapy, followed by decompression, posterior instrumentation, and stabilization. The final diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy, and there was a significant improvement in neurology after the surgical intervention. The diagnosis of rare lesions, such as aggressive hemangiomas, requires a high level of clinical suspicion and the assistance of imaging modalities in patients with features of compressive myelopathy. A combination of endovascular and surgical approaches can lead to optimal outcomes.

Surgical strategies in the management of aggressive spinal haemangiomas: Retrospective case series with literature review and a practical treatment algorithm

Purpose

We studied the clinico-radiological features and treatment outcomes of patients with aggressive spinal haemangiomas.

Methods

We undertook a retrospective review of 24 patients with aggressive spinal haemangiomas managed at our centre from 2004 to 2016. The cohort was divided into two groups. Group1 included patients managed from 2004 to 2009 while Group 2 was those treated between 2010 and 2016. Clinicoradiological features and treatment outcomes were studied.

Results

Back pain (24/24) and myelopathy (18/24) were the most common presenting complaints. Over 80% (20/24) of patients, had involvement of the thoracic spine and more than 50% (13/24) had severe spasticity, being Nurick grade 4&5 at presentation. The various treatment modalities used were laminectomy with or without instrumented posterior fusion (10/24), corpectomy with instrumented fusion (10/24) and alcohol injection alone (4/24). Patients who were treated with surgery had significant clinical improvement at follow-up in both groups. Patients who underwent alcohol injection did not have any improvement in symptoms at follow-up. There was a change in our strategy in the later part of the series from a two staged anterior and posterior approach to a single staged posterior-only approach to address vertebral body disease with preoperative angioembolization.

Conclusion

Haemangiomas are benign lesions with locally aggressive behavior in some cases. Results of conservative approaches such as alcohol injection in management of these lesions are discouraging. Aggressive surgical decompression combined with preoperative adjuncts such as angioembolization with or without stabilization reduces intra operative blood loss and results in good neurological recovery even in patients with severe myelopathy.

Doughnut vertebroplasty for circumferential aggressive vertebral hemangiomas

BACKGROUND

To assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of a percutaneous doughnut vertebroplasty of circumferential aggressive vertebral hemangiomas (VHs).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively collected database of patients with VHs treated with vertebroplasty between January 2009 and January 2018. Patient demographics, clinical presentations and procedural details were recorded. All patients underwent preoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All vertebroplasties were performed under conscious sedation in the prone position, predominantly using biplane fluoroscopic guidance. A clinical and imaging evaluation (early CT scan and MRI) as well as a final follow-up clinical assessment was performed.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients with aggressive VHs who underwent circumferential vertebroplasty with cementation of the entire vertebral body and at least one posterior hemi-arch were included (six males, mean age 53 years). At 3 months follow-up, nine patients (41%) had complete, 11 (50%) had partial and two (9%) had no resolution of pain. Nine of 14 patients had a decrease in venous swelling on MRI. No complications were observed. Five patients (23%) underwent adjunctive surgery within 1 year for persistence or worsening of neurological symptoms. Clinical and radiographic improvements were maintained to final follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Doughnut vertebroplasty offers a mini-invasive, safe and effective treatment of aggressive circumferential VHs. This technique improves pain in over 90% of patients as well as a reduction in radicular and neurological symptoms associated with a tendency to regression of the compressive epidural venous component of these lesions.

Thoracic aggressive vertebral hemangiomas: multidisciplinary management in a hybrid room

PURPOSE

Vertebral hemangiomas (VH) account for 2-3% of all spinal tumors. The majority is incidentally found on radiographic studies: 1% present with pain and/or neurologic deficits. We report our experience with the multidisciplinary management of aggressive symptomatic thoracic VH by concomitant intraoperative sclerotization with sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), vertebroplasty, posterior decompression (with/without fusion) and surgical resection in a hybrid operating room (HR) equipped with a rotational scanner and a radiolucent operating table.

METHODS

Patients admitted with aggressive spinal VH between 2007 and 2018 were included. Data regarding demographics, presenting symptoms, location of the lesion, preoperative embolization, length of the surgery, estimated blood loss (EBL) as well as follow-up (FU) were retrieved.

RESULTS

Five patients were included (three females, mean age 65 years; range 59-75). Three patients presented with a myelopathy and two mechanical thoracic pain. All patients underwent a single-stage percutaneous sclerotization and vertebroplasty followed by a surgical decompression associated with epidural intralesional injection of STS and subtotal resection of the epidural lesion. Two patients had preoperative embolization. Mean procedural duration was 338 min (range 210-480 min). Four patients had marginal EBL, one patient had 500 ml EBL. Patients had no evidence of lesion recurrence or progression at the end of the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The single-stage multimodal management of aggressive symptomatic VH is safe and effective. It allows for a direct intraoperative sclerotherapy combined with maximal tumor resection, resulting in reduced blood loss. The use of STS as a direct intraoperative sclerotizing agent is safe and reliable.

Intraoperative injection of absorbable gelatin sponge (AGS) mixed with cement followed by spinal decompression to treat elderly with vertebral hemangiomas

Background

Elderly patients with vertebral hemangiomas are rare and might require surgery. Thus, the choice of surgery for these lesions remains controversial because of the rarity of these lesions. This study aimed to analyze the clinical efficacy of the intraoperative injection of absorbable gelatin sponge mixed with cement followed by spinal decompression to treat the elderly with typical vertebral hemangiomas. The risk factors for hemangioma recurrence were investigated through a literature review.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 13 patients with typical aggressive hemangiomas between January 2009 and January 2016. Of these patients, 7 were treated with spinal decompression combined with intraoperative vertebroplasty (Group A), and 6 patients were treated with decompression with intraoperative vertebroplasty and absorbable gelatin sponge (Group B). The general data and perioperative data of the patients were compared. Patients were followed up for at least 3 years, and postoperative complications and recurrence rates were recorded and compared.

Results

All patients had typical aggressive hemangiomas. The average age of all patients was 64.4 ± 3.3 years. The preoperative data did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). The blood loss of groups A and B was 707.1 ± 109.7 ml and 416.7 ± 103.3 ml, respectively (P = 0.003) (P = 0.003), and the average surgery durations were 222 ± 47.8 min and 162 ± 30.2 min, respectively (P = 0.022). The average follow-up duration was 62 ± 19 months, and no cases of recurrence were found at the final follow-up assessment.

Conclusions

Multimodal treatment significantly alleviated the clinical symptoms of elderly patients with typical aggressive vertebral hemangiomas. Intraoperative absorbable gelatin sponge injection is a safe and effective way to reduce blood loss and surgery duration.

Vertebral hemangiomas: Diagnosis and management. A single center experience

OBJECTIVE

Vertebral hemangiomas (VH) are common benign lesions involving the spine. Owing to the multiplicity of treatments, the management of VH has not always been consistent. In this retrospective review of a single center experience, indications and options available for the treatment of VH are outlined.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective review of 71 cases of VH managed at our institution between 2005 and 2019. Sixty of these cases were managed non-operatively, with 11 cases undergoing operative intervention. Of the 11 cases that underwent surgery, there were 2 cervical cases and 9 in the thoracic spine. Ten cases were symptomatic, and 1 incidental. Three patients presented with localized pain, and the remaining 7 had neurological deficit. Decompression with maximal resection of the hemangioma was undertaken in 10 cases, and vertebroplasty in 1.

RESULTS

Of the 60 patients who were managed non-operatively, 13 patients had presented with back/neck pain, with the remaining 47 patients being asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally. Among the 13 symptomatic patients, all were offered surgical intervention for pain management, but given lack of severity of symptoms, all had opted for conservative approaches of pain control. In the 11 patients who underwent surgery, the preoperative diagnosis of VH was accurate in all but 1 case. There were 2 cervical cases treated with corpectomy. One patient was treated with vertebroplasty, and the remaining 8 with decompression. Radiation was used in 2 cases. Of the 10 patients undergoing decompression, 7 patients had improvement of the neurologic deficit, with resolution of pain in the remaining 3. None of our cases demonstrated deterioration.

CONCLUSION

VH are often discovered incidentally during evaluation of spinal pain. Except in rare cases, the diagnosis of VH is made correctly from the radiographic and MRI studies. Observation for the asymptomatic lesion is appropriate. For VH presenting with deficit or intractable pain, decompressive surgery is recommended. Radiation is appropriate in cases of recurrent VH.

Preoperative Endovascular Embolisation of the Symptomatic Hemangioma in 7th Thoracic Vertebrae: Case Report

Although, as asymptomatic, they appear in about 10-12% of the worldwide population, vertebrae hemangiomas are symptomatic in about 0.9-1.2% of all the cases.

We showed the case of the symptomatic hemangioma in the 7th thoracic vertebrae in 67 year old patient, that was successfully preoperative embolised. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected the tumor in the body of 7th vertebrae with mass effect on the anterior aspect of the spinal cord. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging describes this tumor as hemangioma that is in the body of the Th7 vertebrae and in the both pedicules. We performed selective and supraselective spinal angiography which showed pathological vascularisation of the tumor, and then the tumor was embolised. The control angiography detected the reduction of the tumor blood vessels, as a sign of the successful embolisation. Ten days after embolisation, the patient went through corporectomia of the Th7 and the stabilization of the thoracic spine was performed. Intraoperative blood transfusion in our patient was 930 mL, while expected blood transfusion during the surgical intervention without preoperative embolisation is about 1600 mL.

Method of choice in conditions with neurological compressive symptoms caused by vertebral hemangioma is surgery for the decompression of the nerve structures. Embolisation of aggressive vertebral hemangioma is recommended and preoperatively performed for the intraoperative hemorrhage reduction and decreasing of intraoperative complications.