Posttraumatic thoracic epidural capillary hemangioma - A rare case report

Capillary hemangiomas are benign vascular lesions commonly seen in subcutaneous tissues. The most common site of origin is from the vertebral body, and only a few cases of isolated lesions in thoracic epidural space, especially after trauma, have been reported in the literature.

We report a case of 63-year-old male with progressive bilateral lower limb weakness and exaggerated lower limb deep tendon reflexes without bowel and bladder involvement. His history revealed T7 fracture with paraparesis which was treated surgically, and implants were removed a year later. MRI showed an epidural lesion from T6-T8 extending into the right T7-8 foramen which showed hypointensity on T1, hyperintensity on T2, and homogenous enhancement in contrast images with severe cord compression. Laminectomy was done and the lesion was removed en bloc. Histopathological examination revealed it to be capillary hemangioma. The neurology came back to normal after 3 months.

Although capillary hemangiomas are rare lesions, it has to be considered in the differential diagnosis of epidural space-occupying lesions which require early surgical removal to prevent a progressive and permanent neurological deficit.