Therapy
Hemangiomas rarely require treatment. On the skin, they can be removed for aesthetic reasons, but on the spine, their removal is more complicated. If they are discovered by chance, they can be treated for preventive reasons to prevent possible spinal cord problems or sinter fractures.
For this purpose, the hemangioma must be surgically removed and filled with bone substance. If vertebral body fractures have already occurred, the vertebral body can be cemented and stabilized or stiffened with other vertebrae. For this purpose, several vertebral bodies are screwed together with rods and thus stabilized.
In rare cases, radiosurgical treatments can also be used to reduce the hemangioma. For this purpose, the vertebral body is irradiated. These procedures can be used as a second choice if surgery is not possible or not appropriate. If there are no symptoms, the necessity of an operation must be carefully weighed up in each case. Mild complaints without neurological consequences should first be treated symptomatically with painkillers before surgical treatment is initiated.
Can a hemangioma of the spine become malignant?
Typical congenital hemangiomas are not malignant. They are purely benign tumors from the embryonic period, which consist of vascular and fat cells and have no tendency to degenerate. Nevertheless, when examining a putative hemangioma, attention should be paid to possible characteristics of malignant tumors. If the hemangioma is growing unusually fast and irregularly, if the tumor is bleeding frequently or if the tumor is spreading in depth, it should be examined for malignant degeneration.
