title: Diagnosis and microsurgical treatment of spinal hemangioblastoma.
abstract: Spinal cord hemangioblastomas are rare benign tumors, with difficult surgical management and poor prognosis due to high vascularization. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic methods and microsurgical treatment of spinal cord hemangioblastoma. This retrospective study assessed 25 patients treated for spinal hemangioblastoma using microsurgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Department of Neurosurgery, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, between October 2008 and October 2013. Clinical, imaging, and treatment data were collected. Meanwhile, efficacy was assessed with the McCormick grading system for spinal cord function. The symptoms lasted 17.0 ± 15.1 months. Sixteen (64 %) patients were suffering from von Hippel-Lindau disease; magnetic resonance imaging revealed the lesions in all patients. Intraoperative fluorescence angiography was helpful in identifying the feeding arteries and draining veins. Total tumor removal was achieved in all subjects. Patients were followed up for 21.3 ± 8.5 months. One week after surgery, neurological symptoms were improved in 22 patients, remained stable in 2 patients, and were aggravated in 1. The latter patient began to recover 7-10 days after surgery and was completely recovered within a month. At the last follow-up, all patients were alive, and all showed a McCormick grade ≤II. Microsurgery seems effective in the treatment of spinal cord hemangioblastoma. Intraoperative fluorescence angiography is helpful in defining the resection scope, to reduce intraoperative bleeding and prevent spinal swelling, which results in improved success rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100000, China.
authors.forename: Xuezhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors.forename: Jianzhen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, 100039, China. jianxingniu@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors.forename: Jiakang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, 100039, China.
authors.forename: Yaohui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018325:Hemangioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Fluorescence angiography; Hemangioblastoma; Microsurgery; Spinal cord