Symptomatic T2 vertebral hemangioma in a pregnant woman treated by one stage combination surgery; posterior stabilization and anterior subtotal tumor resection. Case report.

A 27-year-old woman presented with vertebral hemangioma manifesting as sudden onset of paraplegia, and bladder and bowel dysfunction during pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass lesion that had infiltrated into the entire T2 vertebral body and expanded to the vertebral canal. Laminectomy from T1 to T3 and biopsy of the lesion were performed. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of vertebral hemangioma, but laminectomy resulted in no neurological changes. The patient was transferred to our hospital, where radical treatment comprising embolization of the feeding arteries, posterior stabilization of the vertebrae, and anterior excision of the tumor was performed. Symptoms resolved gradually but steadily, and she made a full recovery by 18 months postoperatively. Radical operation might be extremely effective for extradural vertebral hemangioma, even in the delayed phase or in the presence of severe neurological deficit.