Thoracic nerve root hemangioblastoma: a rare cause of posterior mediastinal mass.

BACKGROUND: Hemangioblastomas are benign tumors that occur sporadically or as part of von Hippel-Lindau disease. Occasionally, they have an extramedullary location along the nerve roots and, rarely, are purely extradural.

CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a rare case of a completely extradural large hemangioblastoma in a 32-year-old man presenting with radiculopathy and a posterior mediastinal mass. Screening revealed a similar tumor in the right cerebellar hemisphere. The patient underwent a right paramedian suboccipital craniotomy and total excision of the cerebellar tumor, followed by a left lateral thoracotomy and complete excision of the mediastinal lesion. The patient had an uneventful recovery.

CONCLUSIONS: Hemangioblastomas should be considered in the diagnosis of posterior mediastinal tumors in the presence of typical imaging features or with associated intra-axial tumors, so as to plan preoperative angiography and embolization.