Vertebral Hemangiomas and Their Correlation with Other Pathologies

Study Design. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 196 adults (98 men and 98 women), aged between 18 and 91 years. Objective. To examine whether vertebral hemangiomas (VHs) are associated with other spinal pathologies, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and past trauma, to shed light on their possible pathophysiology. Summary of Background Data. VHs are the most common form of benign tumors in the spine. Their association with spinal and systemic pathologies has not yet been systematically studied. Methods. Clinical data were gathered from full spine CT scans and medical records. Results. VHs were significantly associated with disc lesions (P=0.004), past trauma (P=0.037), diabetes (χ 2 =5.179, P=0.023), cardio-vascular diseases (χ 2 =8.625, P=0.003), and cancer (χ 2 =5.820, P=0.016), but not with obesity. Only medium-large size VHs were significantly associated with osteoporosis (χ 2 =6.695, P=0.010). Conclusion. The pattern of diseases related to VHs suggests a common cause for VH, namely, a disruption of vascular flow in the microvessels (accompanied by endothelium damage) within the vertebral body, eventually resulting in hypervascularization.