title: Vascular malformations presenting as spinal cord neoplasms: case report.
abstract: Three cases of adult patients with subacute courses of progressive caudal spinal cord disease are presented. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and myelographic studies were interpreted preoperatively as representing a spinal cord neoplasm in each case. No evidence of enlarged or abnormal surface vessels was observed by neuroimaging or intraoperatively. Biopsy specimens from each spinal cord lesion showed the typical histopathological features of a spinal vascular malformation. We conclude that vascular malformations of the caudal spinal cord can appear as isolated intramedullary lesions with apparently normal surface vessels and that these lesions may be difficult to distinguish from spinal cord neoplasms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Montine
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: O'Keane
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Eskin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giangaspero
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Burger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed