title: Intramedullary spinal arteriovenous malformation in a boy of familial cerebral cavernous hemangioma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The coexistence of spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and a familial cerebral cavernous hemangioma (CCH) is extremely rare.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 9-year-old boy suddenly developed severe paraplegia and urinary dysfunction. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed a cervical and upper thoracic intramedullary lesion. Due to acute neurological dysfunction, the patient underwent emergency surgical exploration. An intramedullary vascular lesion was found and excised. Pathologically, AVM was noted. After the surgery, the boy was ambulatory with left lower limb stiffness. MRI scan of the brain revealed multiple cerebral cavernous hemangioma. Symptomatic multiple CCH in his mother and grandmother were also noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that the presence of spinal AVM should be suspected if the patient with familial CCH develops the signs of space-occupying lesion of the spinal cord, facilitating early diagnosis of the spinal AVM.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taipei, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chieh-Tsai
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kuang-Lin
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Alex Mun-Ching
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Shih-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Chang-Teng
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shao-Hsuan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hsia
mesh_terms: D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002648:Child; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D016896:Treatment Outcome