[Microsurgery of spinal angioblastoma]

The treatment results of ten patients with spinal hemangioblastoma including clinical, radiological and surgical considerations are reported. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered to be the radiological method of choice. With its superior imaging qualities MRI was able to clearly demonstrate the exact anatomical location of the tumor nidus as well as the extent and location of the accompanying space-occupying intramedullary cysts. The tumors could be completely removed in all ten patients using microsurgical techniques. The additional application of the CO2-laser has added significantly to the atraumatic and total tumor extirpation. In none of the patients postoperative worsening occurred. In two patients with long lasting symptoms the pre- and postoperative neurological status was unchanged. Minor sensory sequelae persisted in another two patients. In 6 patients the preoperative neurological deficits including significant motor and sensory disturbances resolved completely. It is concluded that microsurgical removal guided by MRI imaging and aided by the application of laser energy is the method of choice in the treatment of spinal hemangioblastomas.