A fairly common phenomenon (in 10% of the world's population) is hemangioma - a benign formation inside the vertebra caused by the proliferation of blood vessels. In most cases (75%) there is a hemangioma of the thoracic spine, and the hemangioma of the spine of the cervical or lumbar region is considered a rather rare pathology. Most often, such a neoplasm affects the vertebrae of women aged 20 to 30 years.
The causes of hemangioma of the spine
Physicians still have not reached a unanimous opinion about the causes of the development of the hemangioma of the spine, nevertheless, it is believed that the prerequisites for the emergence of such a neoplasm is:
- hereditary predisposition (risk increases fivefold);
- a high level of estrogen circulating after birth (it is in women that a tumor occurs 3 to 5 times more often);
- local tissue hypoxia;
- violation of the development of blood vessels.
Symptoms of a hemangioma of a backbone
In most cases, the neoplasm does not make itself felt and is detected accidentally in the process of examining the spine.
If the hemangioma begins to increase in size and press on the vertebra from the inside, then the patient feels pain in the location of the tumor. Discomfort increases with tilts, bends, standing and walking. The pain is caused by the fact that the anterior and posterior ligaments are too strained due to the expansion of the vertebra, which eventually begins to lose its biomechanical qualities and becomes fragile. In this case, the risk of compression fracture of the spine increases - the body of the vertebra is squeezed into the vertebral canal, pressure on the spinal cord, nerve roots are squeezed, the intervertebral disc is destroyed. Such a fracture is dangerous for the subsequent development of radiculitis , osteochondrosis and even irreversible paralysis.
Hemangioma can also squeeze the spine cord root with your body: this condition is accompanied by paresis, paralysis, sensory disturbance, pain along the nerves, numbness of the organs that the compressed nerve "guides".
Methods of diagnosis and treatment
The most reliable data on the position and size of the hemangioma is provided by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Depending on the shape of the tumor, the doctor chooses the optimal treatment option. For example, epidural or bone hemangioma of the spine as a contraindication has a complete removal of the neoplasm due to the high risk of bleeding.
The most popular methods of treatment of a hemangioma of a backbone:
- Irradiation (radiotherapy). A bundle of elementary particles is sent to the neoplasm; the efficacy is 88%, but the risk of nerve endings is great.
- Embolization. The patient with hemangioma is given a special embolizing substance, clogging vessels,
which feed the tumor. - Alcoholization. Injections of ethyl alcohol are under the control of a computer tomograph; this reduces the pressure and de-vascularizes (exsanguinates) the tumor.
- Puncture vertebroplasty. The body of the vertebra is injected with so-called bone cement to prevent fracture.
If the hemangioma has grown to a considerable extent, and serious neurological disorders occur, consider the question of its complete surgical removal.
Treatment of hemangioma of the spine with folk remedies is extremely inefficient. Therapy is prescribed only by the doctor - self-medication (especially manual methods, warming up) is unacceptable because of the high risk of tumor growth.