Surgical management of symptomatic spinal cord and intracerebral cavernomas in a multiple cavernomas case

Abstract

Multiple cavernous malformations are associated with familial cases and are present in 10-20% of all cavernoma cases. 5% of cavernomas are located intramedullary and of these only 10% present multiple cavernomas. With the availability of echo gradient MRI the cases of multiple cavernomas are diagnosed earlier and it is not rare that it uncovers multiple cavernomas in cases where only a single lesion can be identified on regular MRI sequences. We present the case of a 55 years old woman presented with a two years history of mild backache, followed by progressive lower legs motor deficit and urinary retention. The spine MRI showed an intramedullary T2/3 lesion and the cerebral MRI established the diagnosis of multiple cavernomas. One year after the intramedullary cavernoma was operated with success, she developed generalized seizures and a new cerebral MRI showed bleeding and volume growth of one right temporal pole cavernoma. The cerebral lesion was resected successfully and the patient was discharged free of seizures. This familial type multiple cavernomas cases should be screened and followed with repeated brain and spine MRI’s every year.

Keywords

• multiple cavernous malformations
• spinal cord
• seizures
• motor deficit