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. 2014 Feb;23(2):417-25.
doi: 10.1007/s00586-013-3073-1. Epub 2013 Nov 5.

Spinal angiolipoma: etiology, imaging findings, classification, treatment, and prognosis

Yu Si  1 , Zhenyu Wang, Yi Pan, Guozhong Lin, Tao Yu
Affiliations

Spinal angiolipoma: etiology, imaging findings, classification, treatment, and prognosis

Yu Si et al. Eur Spine J. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: To summarise our experience treating patients with spinal angiolipomas (SAs) and to evaluate factors relating to its prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients diagnosed with SAs who received surgical treatment from January 2001 to February 2013.

Results: Twenty-one patients were described. We divide SAs into two types: "intraspinal" and "dumbbell-shaped". The former were further subclassified as "with lipomatosis" and "without lipomatosis". Overweight people are more likely to get the "with lipomatosis" type which needs different surgical strategy and/or a diet therapy to get better outcomes.

Conclusion: Diagnosis of SAs should be made with reference to clinical, radiological, and pathological findings. Application of different methods is needed to treat SAs.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Type IA (without lipomatosis) tumour. a In sagittal T1-weighted images, the tumour was basically homogeneous medium signal. b The tumour was T2WI high signal. c In fat suppression images, the signal was still high. d Intense homogeneous enhancement
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Type IB (with lipomatosis) tumour . a In sagittal T1-weighted images, the tumour’s signal was inhomogeneous, isointense signal was present in center part, and high signal in the surrounding part. b In T2WI, signal was present slightly high in center part, and hyperintense in the surrounding part. c In fat suppression images, the signal was total reversed. d The central part had intense homogeneous enhancement, while the surrounding part maintain low signal
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Type II tumours (dumbbell-shaped) Tumours expanding out of the intervertebral foramina
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Representative hematoxylin and eosin stained spinal angiolipomas samples (magnification = ×10)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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