The well-known hemangioma of the spine is not quite the right term. This pathology affects only one vertebra or several, so the vertebral hemangioma will be the correct medical term. This formation is a benign tumor consisting of vascular tissue. The ailment can not manifest itself in any way and is often detected only during examinations for other diseases.
An insignificant part of patients with hemangioma (ten percent) show pain. The risk zone for developing hemangiomas of the spine is mainly women who are over forty years old. But sometimes men and, moreover, children undergo pathological changes. Despite the fact that this tumor is slowly progressing, it is better to start therapy immediately after its discovery.
We will understand what it is - a hemangioma of the spine. We will also consider treatment.
Pathology Description
Some blood vessels, when dilated, intertwine with others of their own kind. Tumors are formed, the inner part of which is the epithelium. It is important to know that a benign tumor can form absolutely anywhere in the body, with the exception of some areas. But spinal hemangioma can be really dangerous. Despite the fact that the tumor slowly grows in size, it nevertheless grows and over time can cause a fracture of the spine. The most frequent localization of pathological education are the lumbar and thoracic spine.
Treatment of hemangiomas is a very real procedure, but the danger lies precisely in the fact that the detection and diagnosis of pathology may turn out to be too late.
What is the pathology dangerous?
Since the hemangioma of the spine is benign, you should not be very scared. But this pathological formation has the property, albeit slowly, but to grow in size. In a neglected state, this neoplasm can grow through bone tissue and disrupt its integrity with the structure. In this case, the vertebrae can become fragile, and a compression fracture is possible overnight. The risk level for hemangioma of the vertebra directly depends on some of the following parameters:
- It depends on whether the case is female or male. For example, the male spine is characterized by more massive vertebrae.
- From the age of a person, since the patient is older, the pathology becomes more dangerous for him.
- Localization of education.
- The number of affected vertebrae.
What is the danger of spinal hemangioma?
Another dangerous point is the fact that even without a fracture, pressure on the spinal canals can occur, and a person can simply be paralyzed, and problems can arise in the functioning of various internal organs. Next, we will examine the causes of the appearance of such a tumor.
Causes of pathology
After the appearance of a pathological formation from the vessels, their further destruction often occurs. Blood leaving the vessels goes into the formed cavity. In its place there are tumors that fill the entire cavity, increasing beyond its size. Such a hemangioma can form for the following series of reasons:
- The presence of a genetic predisposition. The hereditary factor plays a huge role in the formation of pathological tumors.
- The effect of hormonal levels. In women, estrogen levels are higher. It is this hormone that takes an active part in the appearance of hemangiomas of the vertebrae.
- The presence of increased physical exertion. In the presence of excessive pressure, the vertebrae age very quickly and microcracks appear in them.
- Exposure to radiation.
- Exposure to certain drug substances.
Often met with hemangioma of the thoracic region. But directly for the cervical spine, this pathology is even more dangerous. According to the degree of aggressiveness, tumors are divided as follows:
- The development of aggressive hemangiomas. In this case, the condition is marked by a rapid increase in the size of the tumor. Soon, cracks and compression fractures appear in the vertebrae.
- With the development of non-aggressive hemangiomas, symptoms may be absent or mild. In this case, the course of the disease occurs favorably, and the patient himself may not even be aware of the presence of such a pathology.
Types of tumors
Hemangiomas of the body of the spine are conventionally divided into types. When evaluating them by the amount in one patient, there are:
- Single hemangiomas, which are the most common form of education.
- Multiple type. This species is very rare, but a similar case is most dangerous.
By the nature of the content, I classify them as follows:
- Vascular lesions. The main component of this pathological formation are vessels that are covered with adipose tissue.
- Cavernous tumors are formed from parts of hard tissue, they can consist of several sections.
- The vascular-cavernous type is a pathological formation, which is partially filled with vascular and bone tissue.
Symptoms of pathology
Consider the symptoms of hemangioma of the spine.
Some signs or symptoms may be noted, or sometimes the symptoms are completely absent. Manifestations directly depend on the remoteness of the formation, the area of localization and the degree of aggressiveness of the disease:
- Non-aggressive hemangiomas can be completely asymptomatic all their life, and their presence can ultimately be detected only by a pathologist. But similar tumors can also be detected with various examinations that are performed to detect other pathologies.
- Aggressive soon begin to disturb the patient, causing pain and impaired certain functions of the body. The size of the hemangioma of the spine matters.
In most cases, symptoms appear only when the tumor reaches a certain size and begins to interfere with normal functioning. For both sexes, these sizes are different. Depending on the area of localization, these or those symptoms appear:
- In the presence of hemangiomas of the thoracic spine, back pain is most often present. This is the most common localization of the neoplasm. When a tumor reaches a certain size in a person, numbness of the hands is possible or at least their poor sensitivity is noted along with loss of appetite.
- Hemangioma of the lumbar region is also often seen in connection with regular increased loads on the lower back. In this case, there may be signs in the form of pain, extending to the legs and groin, there is also a malfunction of the genitourinary system along with impaired stool.
- Hemangioma of the cervical spine is the most rare case, and at the same time dangerous. A pronounced symptomatology is manifested in a violation of visual functions and coordination of movements. In addition, in such patients, the blood supply to the brain is impaired, they suffer from insomnia and headaches.
As soon as the tumor grows to a critical size, impaired motor function, numbness of the extremities and paralysis are almost always observed.
Diagnosis of the disease
Understanding what the hemangioma of the vertebrae is, one can guess that a normal blood test, of course, will not work for diagnosis. An accurate and at the same time high-quality examination is necessary. Doctors offer several of the following types of examinations:
- X-ray. Several images of the spine, which display a picture of the disease in various projections, provide a lot of information.
- Performing computed tomography is a fairly informative diagnostic method and is often used to detect such a tumor.
- Conducting magnetic resonance imaging helps to most effectively determine the pathological formation and is the best diagnostic option.
- An ultrasound scan is performed for problems with blood supply and in the presence of vascular compression.
It must be said that magnetic resonance imaging creates a special field in which a person is placed. The sensor detects changes in the charge of the molecules of the human body, due to which a complete picture of the disease is issued. This study is very informative and provides information on the size of the tumor, its structure and location.
Treatment of this pathology
How to treat spinal hemangioma? Therapy in this case is divided into three types, namely: operational, conservative and special. The need for a particular technique is determined by the doctor. If the tumor is small and its growth is very slow, it is better not to do anything at all. Such treatment measures will not be able to completely cure the disease, but they stop the progression and alleviate the human condition.
Medical treatment
Some medications facilitate and eliminate pain in the presence of back hemangioma. Such medicines strengthen the spine, preventing the growth of the tumor. A doctor may prescribe the following drugs:
- Pain medications that have an analgesic effect.
- Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Therapy by taking the vitamin complex.
- Treatment with hormonal drugs.
- Use for the treatment of muscle relaxants.
It should be noted that the use of certain drugs is allowed only by prescription.
Treatment of ailment with massage and physiotherapy
When treating a problem such as hemangioma of the spine, some therapeutic methods may be contraindicated. This list includes massage and physiotherapy treatments. The fact is that such treatment can improve blood circulation, which significantly increases the unwanted growth of the tumor. There are also allowed massage procedures, but a more accurate recommendation will be given by a doctor. The main thing is to keep in mind that it is strictly forbidden to perform massages with a course of physiotherapy in this case.
Folk techniques
Any products that produce a warming effect are strictly prohibited. In the event that a person has hemangioma of the spine, alternative methods will only aggravate the situation. Any treatment at home should be agreed with the doctor.
Special Therapies
Like any oncological diseases, hemangioma of the cervical spine or thoracic have special treatment methods:
- Enter injection of a solution of alcohol into the neoplasm. In this case, the tumor is destroyed, and the vascular tissue is soon replaced by connective tissue.
- Enter a special drug that forms blood clots. Under the influence of an injection, blood circulation is disturbed in the area of localization of the disease, and it does not progress further.
- Use of special radiation. This is a rather dangerous technique that has many side effects.
- The use of a vertebroplastic solution that causes the solidification of the tumor, which stops its growth, strengthening the damaged vertebra. The process of injecting bone cement is called embolization. Reviews about this procedure are mostly positive.
Surgery as a way to treat pathology
If conservative methods of treatment are ineffective, doctors give a referral for surgery. This treatment technique can harm the patient, making him disabled. Doctors understand the risk, and in this regard, surgery is carried out only in the presence of aggressive hemangioma, which can quickly progress or has critical dimensions. Moreover, a person has constant pain, which prevents him from leading a normal life.
The operation is performed by standard removal of the formation through an incision made on the back. But sometimes a tumor can strongly compress part of the vertebra, and in the event of its complete removal, a fracture can occur along with internal hemorrhage. In such cases, only part of the tumor is removed, which puts pressure on the canals of the spinal cord.
Reviews of hemangioma of the spine. Patient opinions
They write about the surgical removal of spinal hemangiomas that this procedure is painless, as it is done under general anesthesia. But it has many shortcomings, among which there is a long and difficult rehabilitation and the risk of injury. Patients say that during rehabilitation it is forbidden to carry heavy loads and stay in a sitting position for a long time.
Patients consider the embolization procedure to be the most successful treatment method and tell that after it is actually carried out, it is possible to achieve a suspension of tumor growth along with strengthening the damaged vertebra.
We examined what this hemangioma of the spine is. And the treatment of this pathology was also discussed by us.