Intramedullary hemorrhage in spinal cord hemangioblastoma

Abstract

The authors describe two cases of intramedullary hemorrhage caused by thoracic hemangioblastoma. Both patients presented with acute paraplegia. The lesion in the first case was diagnosed by myelography and in the second by magnetic resonance imaging. Emergency surgical evacuation of the intramedullary hematoma and tumor was performed in these patients. Hemangioblastoma was confirmed by histopathological examination in both cases. Both patients remain paraplegic after 7 and 1 years, respectively. Intramedullary hemorrhage is a rare and devastating effect of spinal hemangioblastoma.