Angioma of the Vertebra

Diagnosis of angioma of the vertebra is a rarity. It may be discovered accidentally while radiographying the spine for some other lesion. And in such a case the disease remains asymptomatic. Symptoms, when present, may be pain in the back (Case No. 1) , or they may be those of spinal cord compression (Case No. 2) which are indistinguishable from those produced by spinal cord tumour. The diagnosis can only be established by radiography. The body of the involved vertebra has a slightly greater transverse diameter, and slightly less depth than the normal vertebra above' and below. When the spinal and transverse processes are involved (Fig. 1), these also show greater dimensions. The angiomatous bono is loss dense than normal, the finer trabeCT and the interstitial calcium are absorbed and a very coarse but regular trabeculation is seen, which is vertical in pattern in the body (Fig. 3), and horizontal in the transverse pro-