PMC4861887_01
A-D. Coronal and axial contrast-enhanced CT in soft tissue and bone windows. A relatively hypodense mass encases the right vertebral artery at C3, and extends contiguously from the C3 to C4 vertebral bodies with a sclerotic, well-defined medial border in both vertebrae. The mass abuts, but does not invade the central canal, and there is no mass effect on the spinal cord.
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A relatively hypodense mass encased the right vertebral artery at C3, and extended contiguously from the C3 to C4 vertebral bodies with a medial rim of corticated bone (Figs. 1A-D).
A, B. T1- and T2-weighted sagittal MRI images. A circumscribed lesion is T1-isointense to hypointense and T2-hyperintense. This lesion bridges the C3 and C4 vertebral levels.
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On MR (Figs. 2A and 2B), the osteolytic lesion was hyperintense on T2 and bridged the vertebrae, leading to a working diagnosis of chordoma, which has been reported to extend across disc spaces.
Specimen photomicrograph demonstrates dilated vascular spaces and patchy areas of blood, compatible with the diagnosis of a cavernous hemangioma.
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Pathology (Fig. 3) demonstrated a vascular neoplasm composed of dilated vascular spaces and patchy areas of blood, compatible with a cavernous hemangioma, the most common subtype of VH.