Primary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the lumbar spine.
BACKGROUND
Primary epitheliod hemangioendotheliomas of the lumbar spine are extremely rare tumors with an unpredictable clinical course.


OBJECTIVE
To present a case of primary lumbar epithelioid hemangioendothelioma and its treatment protocol.


METHODS
A tertiary Spinal Unit.


METHODS
A previously healthy adult with persisting low back pain and neurologic deficit.


METHODS
The diagnosis was confirmed by core needle biopsy. The patient was treated with preoperative embolization followed by staged surgery which included wide tumor resection and spinal fixation, using a cage system and a titanium plate anteriorly and a transpedicular fixation system posteriorly.


RESULTS
Three years postoperatively the patient remains free of symptoms with no evidence of recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment of these unpredictable tumors should be dictated by adherence to general oncologic principles.
Christodoulou
Anastasios
A
Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exohi, TK 57010, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Symeonidis
Panagiotis D
PD
Kapoutsis
Dimitrios
D
Iordanidis
Fotis
F
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D018323:Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed