Background: 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.Case Description: 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.Conclusion: 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.
Introduction: Low back pain is one of the most common cause for outpatient visits. Though few studies have shown the vital role of paraspinal muscles in lumbar spine pathology, literature is scarce regarding the influence of the paraspinal muscles in disc degeneration. We aimed to analyse the correlation between paraspinal muscles and disc degeneration. Methods: This is a Level III Prospective Cohort Study done in MRI of lumbosacral spine in 504 patients at 2520 levels from L1-2 to L5-S1. The parameters assessed were age, Pfirrmann grade for disc degeneration and paraspinal muscle (Multifidus and Erector Spinae) mass assessed by the gross cross sectional area of the muscle.The values and their correlation was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The study included a total of 504 patients (231 males and 273 females) with a mean age of 52.00 ± 15.00 (22e80) years. The mean GCSA in cm 2 of the paraspinal muscles at L1-L2, L2-L3,L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 were 16.177 ± 2.72, 17.275 ± 2.16, 16.900 ± 3.07, 16.800 ± 2.63, 13.426 ± 2.42 respectively. We found that the age of the patient is directly proportional to the disc degeneration and inversely proportional to GCSA of paraspinal muscle. There was a significant negative correlation between disc degeneration and paraspinal muscle mass.
Conclusion:We found that the paraspinal muscle mass reduces and Pfirrman's Grade increases as age advances. Also patients with disc degeneration tend to have wasting of paraspinal muscles and vice versa. Hence, strengthening the paraspinal muscles should be emphasised to prevent back pain and to stall the degeneration cascade.
Epithelioid sarcoma of the spine has been rarely reported in the literature. Its diagnosis is challenging due to nonspecific findings. We report a case of 42-year-old gentleman with back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed lesion in the L4 vertebral body extending into the spinal canal with pre and paravertebral involvement. He underwent posterior spinal decompression and instrumentation with biopsy. Histopathological examination was nonspecific. Considering clinical and radiological features, antitubercular treatment was initiated. The patient developed acute onset weakness of both lower extremities 1 month post-surgery. Repeat MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography revealed an increase in the extent of lesion which required revision decompression. Histopathological examination showed cells with epithelioid appearance, positive for Vimentin, and epitheloid membrane antigen in immunohistochemistry. Radiotherapy was planned but the patient expired due to multiorgan dysfunction. Epithelioid sarcomas are rare soft-tissue neoplasms with poor prognosis. They can mimic infection and a high degree of suspicion is required in these cases to diagnose and treat them early.
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