Spinal epidural angiolipoma causing spinal cord compression

Abstract

Background. Spinal angiolipoma (SAL) is a rare tumour with double component mature adipose tissue and proliferating abnormal blood vessels, which result in spinal cord compression requiring an urgent surgical removal. We report a case of woman with spinal angiolipoma. Case presentation. The patient is a 26 years old woman with past medical history of a low grade urothelial bladder carcinoma removed 4 months before she consults at our department, 2 months later the patient presented a lower limbs weakness. The clinical exam at the admission found a patient with paraparesis, hypoesthesia at the level of Th4 and urinary urgency. The spinal MRI objectified a spinal cord compression by a lesion located at the epidural space from Th2 to Th4. The patient was operated and a fatty well vascularized tumour distinct from the epidural fat was removed through a Th2 to Th4 laminectomy. The pathology study was in favour of an angiolipoma. Days after the operation the patient recovered totally, the weakness and the urinary urgency disappeared. The patient is flowed since 24 months she got pregnant. Conclusion. Spinal angiolipoma is a rare tumour with a clinic of spinal cord compression, MRI is the gold standard in diagnosis it shows a fatty lesion with a large enhancement, surgery is the perfect treatment with good outcome and exceptional recurrence.

Keywords

• angiolipoma
• epidural tumour
• spinal cord compression