Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intradural, extramedullary capillary hemangiomas of the cauda equina are exceedingly rare malformations arising from the endothelial cells of the nervous system vasculature. Roughly 20 cases have been reported in the literature, with the youngest and only pediatric case being in a 17-year-old patient. We report the youngest case of intradural extramedullary capillary hemangioma of the cauda equina in a 14-year-old patient. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 14-year-old female presented with two-month history of low back pain with bilateral leg pain and numbness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an L2 well-defined homogenous contrast-enhancing intradural, extramedullary mass causing severe spinal canal stenosis. Patient underwent laminoplasty for resection of an intradural tumor. Intraoperative hemostasis was readily achieved via early identification and coagulation of the predominate feeding vessel. Postoperatively, the patient awoke with no deficits and resolved leg pain. A 3-month postoperative MRI revealed no tumor recurrence and fully healed lamina. CONCLUSIONS: Given the benign nature, the operative goal is complete excision of the tumor without damage to surrounding neural structures. Postoperatively the goal is relief of pain and improvement in neurologic function. To our knowledge we report the first case in which laminoplasty is utilized for the treatment of this pathology in a pediatric patient. Evidence for laminoplasty in this patient population is sparse and future studies are still needed. In any case, reconstruction of the surgical site in a manner that returns the patient's normal anatomy should be strongly considered especially in younger patients.