Spinal Epidural Angiolipoma
- Angiolipomas are benign soft tissue-vascular tumors, rarely seen in the CNS. When seen, they are mostly located in the posterior epidural space of the thoracic spinal canal, and account for 0.14% of all spinal axis tumors.
- They are composed of normal adipose tissue and blood vessels, likely arising from pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells.
- Clinical presentation: acute or sub-acute motor, sensory, and autonomic disturbances.
- Key Diagnostic Features: Multisegmental, often posterior, spinal epidural mass, predominantly hypodense on CT, hyperintense on T2WI and T1WI, with hypointense foci on T1WI and intense contrast enhancement. May extend through neural foramina into paravertebral soft tissues. Rarely, bone invasion can be seen.
- DDx: hemangioma, schwannoma, meningioma, metastasis, lymphoma
- Rx: surgical excision
