Hemangioblastoma located in the posterior incisural space mimicking a tentorial meningioma: a case report

Sporadic cauda equina hemangioblastoma: surgical management in a pregnant woman

Hemangioblastoma is a rare benign vascular tumour of the central nervous system that occurs either sporadically or in association with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. Hemangioblastoma can be found throughout the central nervous system and usually present with late manifestations due to their slow growth rate. Cauda equina hemangioblastomas are extremely rare, and in the literature, no cases are reported on the surgical management of pregnant patients with this condition. We report the case of a young woman with back pain and sphincter dysfunctions in whom an L1-L2 hemangioblastoma was diagnosed. We describe the perioperative and surgical strategies we adopted to successfully treat the patient and preserve the fetus well-being.

Selection of surgical approach for cerebellar hemangioblastomas based on venous drainage patterns

Cerebellar hemangioblastomas remain surgically challenging because of the narrow, deep surgical corridors and tumor hypervascularity. Various surgical approaches are used according to the location, but optimal approaches have not been established. We propose a system of surgical approaches based on the venous drainage systems to facilitate surgical planning and achieve acceptable neurological outcomes. Cerebellar hemangioblastomas were divided into five types based on the main drainage systems: suboccipital hemangioblastomas draining to the transverse sinus (TS) or torcula, tentorial hemangioblastomas draining to the tentorial sinus or straight sinus, petrosal hemangioblastomas draining to the superior petrosal sinus (SPS), quadrigeminal hemangioblastomas draining to the galenic system, and tonsillar hemangioblastomas draining to the TS or torcula in conjunction with jugular bulb or SPS. Microsurgical approaches and patient outcome were retrospectively reviewed according to this classification. This study included 17 patients who underwent 21 operations for resection of 19 cerebellar hemangioblastomas, classified into 9 suboccipital, 4 tentorial, 2 petrosal, 2 quadrigeminal, and 2 tonsillar. Standard suboccipital craniotomies were utilized for suboccipital hemangioblastomas, the occipital transtentorial approach (OTA), and supracerebellar infratentorial approach for tentorial hemangioblastomas, the retrosigmoid approach for petrosal hemangioblastomas, OTA for quadrigeminal hemangioblastomas, and midline suboccipital approach for tonsillar hemangioblastomas. Gross total resection was achieved in all patients except one. Two patients with large hemangioblastomas (tonsillar and quadrigeminal) required second-stage operation which finally achieved gross total removal. No single approach had a significantly higher incidence of postoperative neurological deficits. Selection of the optimum surgical approach for cerebellar hemangioblastomas was successful based on the main drainage systems. Understanding of tumor growth and extension with respect to the venous drainage system is critical to select the appropriate surgical approach.

Predominantly Solid Hemangioblastoma Presenting as an Extra-Axial Cerebellopontine Angle Lesion

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are typically intra-axial, highly vascular tumors of the central nervous system and account for up to 2.5% of all intracranial tumors and up to 12% of posterior fossa neoplasms. Extra-axial HBs are rarely described in the literature. The radiological appearances of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) extra-axial HB can lead to a diagnostic conundrum as they may mimic the appearance of dural metastasis, vestibular schwannoma, or meningioma. Here, we describe a patient who presented with an extra-axial CPA HB and explore the literature of the condition.

Hemangioblastoma arising from duramater: Case report

RATIONALE

Hemangioblastoma (HB) is a benign tumor that is typically located in the subtentorial region of the brain. HB that originates from dura mater is extremely rare.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Herein, we reported a single case of a patient who presented with dizziness and headache lasting for 1 year that progressively aggravated within 1 month.

DIAGNOSIS

After admission, the patient underwent head magnetic resonance (MR); a nodular long T1-T2 signal was found on the right side of parietal falx cerebri; the lesion appeared with high intensity on FLAIR and DWI, and with isointensity on ADC map. In addition, significant homogeneous enhancements were observed on the enhanced scan. According to clinical and imaging features, the lesion was diagnosed as meningioma. However, after performing tumor resection by craniotomy, the diagnosis of HB is clear. Additional pathological examination data were found: Ki-67(+1%), NSE(-), CD31(+), CD34(+), CD56(+), S-100(-), α-inhibin(+), Vimentin(-), EGFR-), GFAP(-), CK-pan(-), EMA(-), PR(-).

INTERVENTIONS

The mass with abundant blood supply was removed.

OUTCOMES

Ten days after operation, the patient was discharged from hospital and no signs of recurrence were observed three months later.

LESSONS

To sum up, obvious high signal intensity in T2WI sequence and homogeneous enhancement are main characteristics that differentiate dural hemangioblastoma from meningioma lesion.

Unilateral Occipital Transtentorial Approach with Multimodal Assistance for Resection of Large Supracerebellar Hemangioblastomas: Preliminary Experience of 2 Cases

BACKGROUND

The surgical resection of large supracerebellar hemangioblastomas (SHBs) is exceptionally challenging due to their vascularity and deep anatomic location and is associated with a high risk of postoperative complications and mortality. Access to the posterior incisural space can be achieved by either an infratentorial supracerebellar approach or occipital transtentorial approach (OTA). However, the optimal surgical strategy has not yet been established. Here, we report 2 cases of large SHBs that were successfully and safely resected via a unilateral OTA with multimodal assistance.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Two patients presented to our hospital with ataxia due to large, solid SHBs. After preoperative embolization, gross total resection of the SHBs was achieved via an OTA. Furthermore, endoscopic assistance was used to resect the remnant portion of the tumor in the second patient. Both patients experienced transient ataxia but were discharged from the hospital without serious complications.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of an OTA with preoperative embolization and endoscopic assistance may reduce the intraoperative risk and contribute to improved outcome in patients with such clinically challenging tumors.