Cervical neuroma presenting as a subarachnoid hemorrhage: case report.
OBJECTIVE
The association of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with spinal lesions is well known, but hemorrhage from a cervical schwannoma is exceedingly rare. The histopathology and the mechanism of bleeding are discussed.


METHODS
We report a healthy 37-year-old man presenting with SAH after intense physical stress caused by bleeding of a cervical neuroma.


METHODS
A C6-T1 laminectomy disclosed an ovoid lesion, 4 cm in diameter; extremely dilated veins originated from the tumor. Removal of the spinal lesion resulted in immediate decongestion of the related venous network. The histopathological examination confirmed that the lesion was a telangiectatic schwannoma. The mechanism of bleeding of the intraforaminal cervical schwannoma is discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Telangiectatic neuromas may be a cause of occult SAH. The importance of magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine is emphasized to explain SAH with negative findings on four-vessel angiography in patients whose SAH may have a surgically correctable cause distant from the intracranial compartment.
Department of Neurosurgery, Annunziata Hospital, Cosenza, Italy.
G
G
Corriero
D G
DG
Iacopino
S
S
Valentini
P L
PL
Lanza
D000328:Adult; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009463:Neuroma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed