Symptomatic vertebral hemangioma: the treatment of 23 cases and a review of the literature.

It is the purpose of this study to analyze a group of 23 patients affected with hemangioma in one or more metameres of the vertebral column. On the basis of clinical examination and instrumental testing in time (minimum follow-up 12 months, maximum 217 months) the following treatment options are discussed: medical treatment and clinical monitoring closer in time; palliative surgical treatment whether or not associated with embolization of vascular afferences of the lesion and adjuvant treatment; intralesional surgical treatment whether or not associated with embolization of the vascular afferences of the lesion and adjuvant treatment. Skeletal hemangioma is a hamartomatous proliferation of vascular tissue, more precisely of endothelial tissue. This is demonstrated by its anatomical identity with other tissues and the existence of exceptional skeletal and multiple tissue hemangiomatosis that begin during childhood. Hemangioma is the benign tumor that is most frequently localized in the spine, involving about 10% of the world population, as reported in the literature on autoptic studies. It is often a solitary lesion, usually localized in the vertebral body, although it may extend to the posterior arch. There is predilection for the thoracic region of the spine, while it less frequently occurs in the cervical and lumbar spines. Generally, it remains asymptomatic throughout the entire life of the subject, so much so that it is often difficult to establish the onset of the lesion. Symptomatic hemangiomas (less than 1% of all hemangiomas) are those that are accidentally discovered via radiograms; they are most often observed during adult age. The most common treatment used for vertebral hemangioma associated with pain is radiotherapy, even if clinical observation represents a reasonable choice. Surgical treatment, preceded when possible by embolization of the vascular afferences of the lesion, is often associated with radiation therapy in cases where there is neurologic compression in addition to pain. It was the purpose of this study to analyze the long-term results obtained in a group of 23 patients affected with symptomatic vertebral hemangioma.