title: Spinal cavernoma: an unusual cause of acute monoparesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cavernous hemangiomas or cavernomas are uncommon vascular malformations of the central nervous system involving most commonly the cerebral hemispheres where they are detected in young to middle aged adults. We present an unusual case of acute monoparesis caused by an intramedullary cavernoma in a woman of advanced age.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 67-year-old woman presented with walking difficulties with acute onset 2 months previously. On neurologic examination, there was a pure right leg monoparesis with moderate spasticity. Tendon reflexes were brisk and there was a Babinski's sign in her right lower limb. The initial diagnosis was lacunar stroke, but the brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right temporal cavernoma-obviously not associated with her monoparesis. The consequent spinal MRI revealed an intramedullary lesion at the T1 level, consistent with a cavernoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our patient presented with an acute monoparesis because of a spinal cavernoma, a most unusual occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece. sokpapa@med.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Sokratis G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kontaxis
authors.forename: Chrysoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samara
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalfakis
authors.forename: Demetrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vassilopoulos
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D020786:Hemangioma, Cavernous, Central Nervous System / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000473:pathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010291:Paresis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis