Sporadic intramedullary hemangioblastoma of the spine: a single institutional review of 21 cases.
BACKGROUND
Sporadic intramedullary spinal cord hemangioblastomas are rare, vascular tumours that can present with significant neurological dysfunction. Surgical resection is the standard treatment for these lesions, and we report our institution's experience with patients who underwent surgery for sporadic intramedullary spinal cord hemangioblastomas.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed 21 patients (14 male, 7 female) who underwent a total of 23 surgeries for sporadic intramedullary spinal cord hemangioblastoma between 1996 and 2014.We recorded demographic, operative and postoperative factors.


RESULTS
The median age was 45 years (IQR: 28). All tumours were present in the cervical (13 of 21, 62%) or thoracic (nine of 21, 43%) spine (one patient had tumours in both locations). Thirteen patients (62%) also had concurrent syringomyelia spanning a median of 11 vertebral levels (IQR: 5). Total resection was achieved in all but one surgery, and no cases involved intraoperative complications. However, postoperative complications occurred after five cases. Median follow-up was 12 months (IQR: 38). Twelve patients (57%) experienced long-term dysfunction after surgery, and two patients experienced recurrence requiring a second surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Maximal safe surgical resection should be considered as a primary treatment modality for individuals with intramedullary spinal cord hemangioblastomas.
a Department of Neurosurgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore , MD , USA.
Ann
A
Liu
b Department of Orthopedic Surgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore , MD , USA.
Amit
A
Jain
a Department of Neurosurgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore , MD , USA.
Eric W
EW
Sankey
a Department of Neurosurgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore , MD , USA.
George I
GI
Jallo
a Department of Neurosurgery , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore , MD , USA.
Chetan
C
Bettegowda
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018325:Hemangioblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
Hemangioblastoma; Oncology; Spine