title: Vertebral hemangiomas: their demographical characteristics, location along the spine and position within the vertebral body.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vertebral hemangiomas (VHs) are the most common form of benign tumors in the spine. The aim of this research was to study the prevalence of VHs in the human population, their distribution along the spine and their location in the vertebral body.
  
  
  METHODS
  The presence of VHs was assessed in full spine CT scans of 196 adults. Demographic data were gathered from medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VHs were present in 26.0% of the individuals studied, a rate significantly higher (χ2=43.338, p<0.001) than the prevalence reported in the literature (10.7%). Multiple VHs (≥2) appeared in 7.2% of the population studied. VHs prevalence is sex-independent, appearing in 28.6% of females and 23.5% of males (χ2=0.663, p=0.416); and age-dependent: the mean age of affected individuals (65.8 years) was significantly higher (p<0.001) than unaffected individuals (56.2 years). VH size was also age-dependent (p=0.023). No vertebra was significantly more prone to be affected by a hemangioma. T11 and T12 show the highest prevalence of VHs (3.57% of vertebrae affected). VHs were found in similar percentages in the anterior and posterior parts of the vertebral body (52.8 vs. 47.2%, respectively); and at its center and periphery (50.1 and 49.9%, respectively). VHs usually appeared at mid-height of the vertebral body or slightly higher.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reported prevalence of VHs is dependent on the demographic structure of the population studied, the size of the VHs and the method used to identify them. Overall, the phenomenon is more frequent than usually reported. VHs may appear at all vertebral levels and in all areas of the vertebral body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Slon
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Haim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.|The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sella-Tunis
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel. anatom2@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hershkovitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Benign tumor; Computed tomography; Spine; Vascular malformation; Vertebral body