Aggressive hemangioma of the thoracic spine

Abstract

Vertebral hemangiomas are common lesions and usually considered benign.  A rare subset of them, however, are characterized by extra-osseous extension, bone expansion, disturbance of blood flow, and occasionally compression fractures and thereby referred to as aggressive hemangiomas.  We present a case of a 67-year-old woman with progressive paraplegia and an infiltrative mass of T4 vertebra causing mass effect on the spinal cord.  Multiple conventional imaging modalities were utilized to suggest the diagnosis of aggressive hemangioma.  Final pathologic diagnosis after decompressive surgery confirmed the diagnosis of an osseous hemangioma.