What type of doctor treats a spinal hemangioma?

What type of doctor treats a spinal hemangioma?

As tumors of blood vessels, hemangiomas have an extremely robust blood supply. When a hemangioblastoma requires surgical treatment, the neurosurgeon will often need to “map” the blood supply through a specialized study known as an angiogram.

Why do I have hemangiomas on my spine?

Hemangiomas, Benign: Hemangiomas are non-cancerous (benign) tumors made of abnormal blood vessels. They are common and can occur anywhere in the body. Most hemangiomas of bone are in the spine and are found more often with advancing age.

Does hemangioma in spine cause pain?

Back pain, especially in the middle or lower back, is the most frequent symptom associated with vertebral hemangioma. The pain may be worse at night or on awakening. It may also spread to the hips, legs, feet or arms as the hemangioma grows.

How serious is a spinal hemangioma?

If left untreated, symptomatic hemangiomas can cause serious neurological effects. At UPMC, we treat hemangiomas with surgical removal (resection) of the tumor or the affected vertebra, and radiation therapy to treat pain. Ethanol injections and laminectomy may also be performed.

Can a spinal hemangioma become malignant?

The diagnosis of vertebral hemangioma is very crucial and can be challenging in some cases. It may mimic malignant lesions in both clinical and radiological behavior [7]. Hemangiomas can be aggressive, compressing the spinal cord with paraparesis and spasticity as in our case.

Can spinal hemangioma cause paralysis?

Rarely, vertebral hemangiomas will cause compressive neurological symptoms, such as radiculopathy, myelopathy and paralysis. In these cases the clinical presentation is usually the subacute or delayed onset of progressive neurological symptoms.

What causes hemangiomas in adults?

The cause of hemangiomas and vascular malformations often isn’t known. They may be passed on (inherited) in some families. The way they’re passed on is called autosomal dominant inheritance. This means that only 1 parent needs to have the gene to pass it on.

Do spinal hemangiomas need to be removed?

In most cases, vertebral hemangioma has a benign course and surgery is not required.

Can adult hemangiomas be removed?

Because they’re so common with aging, they’re also called senile angiomas. Cherry angiomas don’t go away. In fact, you’ll probably get more of them as you age. If their appearance bothers you, a dermatologist (skin specialist) can remove them.

Do spinal hemangiomas grow?

These tumors grow on the vertebrae (bones) of the back and are typically found incidentally. If a hemangioma is asymptomatic, treatment is usually unnecessary. However, if these tumors continue to grow and press on nerves in the spine, they should be treated to prevent neurological damage.