[A clinico radiological study of patients with cavernous angiomas of the spinal cord]

To define the spectrum of signs, symptoms and radiological features in patients with spinal intramedullary cavernous angioma. We analyze surgical management and clinical follow up in these patients.

16 adult patients, 9 women and 7 men, were studied in our hospital each with one cavernous angioma of the spinal cord. All patients were diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging. The lesion location was intramedullary in all patients, 6 patients cervical level and 10 thoracic level.

In 12 patients surgical resection of the malformation was performed and histological results confirmed the spinal cavernous diagnostic. In 10 patients, the clinical outcome had improved in Frankel grade. In the four nonoperated cases, successive monitoring studies demonstrated no radiological progression and the clinical symptomatology has remained stable.

Women in the fertile period appear to be predisposed to develop spinal cavernous angioma. The bleeding risk, in our study, didn t have any relation with CMA level. Magnetic resonance imaging features cannot predict the CMA evolution.