Spinal intramedullary angiolipoma: A case report and review of the literature

Spinal intramedullary angiolipomas are rare tumors. These rather benign, but infiltrative spinal cord lesions create an extremely difficult management dilemma. We report a 59-year-old patient with a C7-TI spinal intramedullary angiolipoma which was partially removed. The 59-year-old man presented with paraplegia and urine retention for 4 days before undergoing surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an intramedullary enhanced lesion located from the C7 to the T1 level. A partial resection of the tumor was performed. The neurologic deficits of the patient did not deteriorate further during the 2-year follow-up. Spinal intramedullary angiolipomas appear to be slow-growing tumors. The treatment of choice is surgical excision and the outcome is closely related to the neurologic deficits preoperatively. Local radiation therapy is not clearly indicated after incomplete tumor removal.