Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Primary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the lumbar spine
Anastasios Christodoulou1, Panagiotis D Symeonidis, Dimitrios Kapoutsis
1Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exohi, TK 57010, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Background Context:
Primary epitheliod hemangioendotheliomas of the lumbar spine are extremely rare tumors with an unpredictable clinical course.
Purpose:
To present a case of primary lumbar epithelioid hemangioendothelioma and its treatment protocol.
Study Design/Setting:
A tertiary Spinal Unit.
Patient Sample:
A previously healthy adult with persisting low back pain and neurologic deficit.
Methods:
The diagnosis was confirmed by core needle biopsy. The patient was treated with preoperative embolization followed by staged surgery which included wide tumor resection and spinal fixation, using a cage system and a titanium plate anteriorly and a transpedicular fixation system posteriorly.
Results:
Three years postoperatively the patient remains free of symptoms with no evidence of recurrence.
Conclusions:
The treatment of these unpredictable tumors should be dictated by adherence to general oncologic principles.
